Reading Logs going digital how to and the benefits of going digital Part IV

The TechWizard's Guide to Library Magic

Written by Ms. Cummings

CiTi Library Media Specialist

Reading Logs going digital how to and the benefits of going digital 

Part IV

Step 1 - Create a Google Form to collect reading log data

Step 2 - Create the Public Reading Dashboard

Step 3 - create the sections of your dashboard

Step 4 - Create the Teacher Dashboard

After Steps 1-3 you will be glad to hear that the Teacher Dashboard is the easiest one to create!

That being said you have a few things to consider.  Primarily confidentiality!  I highly recommend that you double check your school's requirements for this.  I have my REAL teacher dashboard set to only those at my school can view.  REAL is in reference to my dashboard and not the shared copy with fictional data entered.  After some research about our teacher and student accounts, I find that I need to turn link sharing off so that students don't see this data.

In the library, students have a right to privacy especially when it comes to their circulation records.  The American Library Association (ALA) a national association for Libraries has posted the Library Bill of Rights. That right to privacy includes protection to the student reading logs.  As of writing this post, I have decided that I need to have the Link Sharing on the Teacher Dashboard turned off and set to share with specific people.  This means each year I will have to go in an manually add and remove people from the "shared with list".  I just don't feel comfortable with the link sharing turned on even with it set to only those at my school with the link can view.  I will have to continue to debate this and check with the technology department and my admin before making a final decision before the start of the school year.

Creating the Teacher Reading Dashboard

You will need to refer back to Step 2 - Create the Public Reading Dashboard and create a new Google Data Report and linking it to the same Google Sheet.  YOU DO NOT have to create another Google Sheet use the same one that you used for the other Dashboard.

Once you have the new report set up and you see the graph paper image

List of student data Section:

1. You will click on "add a chart" and select Table - the first one 
2. The data source will be your Google Sheet
3. Data Range dimension MUST be Timestamp
4. The dimension will be all the ones you would like to appear on the dashboard.  I put in Date (click on edit to format the date to what you want), Email and/or First & Last Name, Book Title, Author, Genre, Rated Finished or Abandoned (I edited this to shorten it to F/A)
5. Rows per page will reflect your layout. Leave pagination on for this table.
6. Sort by TimeStamp - You will be able to click on any of the columns to sort the data by.
7. You will have to manage your space because more columns may mean that your filter boxes will have to be smaller.  You still want it to be readable.

I added a text box at the top to label this dashboard

I also added a text box to head the column of filters

The Total Books Read section:  The number that appears in the box will reflect the one or many filters that are selected.

1. You will click on "add a chart" and select Scorecard - the first one that says Total
2. The data source will be your Google Sheet
3. Data Range dimension MUST be Timestamp
4. Metric is Book Title - click on edit after you add it- make sure count is selected.  Hard to see at times.  Hover to the left of Book Title in the Metric column and you will see it change to a pencil then click to edit
5. Now to add a filter - the best place to do this is through the menu at the top.  Click on RESOURCE and MANAGE FILTERS.  This way you can reuse the filter.  You may see the filter you created for the other dashboard (skip to # 11) if not follow the same steps to create the filter for this one.
6. Click on ADD A FILTER
7. Set filter to "INCLUDE"
8. Set Search Fields to Did you finish the book question
9. Set next field to Equal to (=)
10. Next field type in what your entry was for Finished.  Be sure to type if correctly or it won't work.  I copied and pasted mine from my Google Form.
11. Now go back to editing the scorecard down to the Filter section.  Click on ADD A FILTER and select the filter for Did you finish the book that you just created.

Filters in a box - add as many as you can.  Create them individually and place them under the "Filter Options" box.

1. When you click on Filters (3 lines) a box outline will appear just like a text box
2. I typed in the name for the filter and enlarged the font through STYLE tab.
3. The data source will be your Google Sheet
4. Data Range dimension MUST be Timestamp
5. Dimension can be any and all of the questions you asked on your Google Form.
6. For the Data Range, you will click on the calendar icon - this will only work properly if you set each chart & filter to have the Data Range Dimension as Timestamp.
7. I have a filter for "Next Book" but it does not display on this dashboard.  I might take it out at this point.  I am undecided.
8. I think I need to go back and add the filter for Finished and Abandoned books.  The total number of books is only Finished books but the listing of books enter by students includes bot finished and abandoned books.

Arrange your Teacher Reading Dashboard the way you want to add a header too.   Turn "Embedding OFF" unless you embed it on a password protected webpage.  Remember this information is considered confidential information.  Your display should now be working.  Test it to make sure the displays change as you apply filters.  Let the teachers using it know they can print to add it to student records if needed.

Library purposes of this display:

1. A display in the library that students can look to for inspiration
2. Being able to see what books student like and don't like and their genre
3. Will influence book purchasing for the library
4. Talking points with teachers and students
5. Book recommendations - so I don't recommend a book they already have read.
6. Random awards for those that are reading - I like to give out stuff during the school year.  Mostly pens and pencils, headphones, post-its and other useful stuff.

Still to come is the student dashboard so they can see what reading logs they have turned in already.  A double check to see if they forgot to turn one in.  That is still in the works and when I get it working I will share it with everyone.