PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-11461279-B2
Application Number: US-201816146588-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Share pools for sharing files via a storage service

Abstract:
This application relates to a client-server architecture that enables file sharing between an instructor and a class. The files are stored in a storage service accessible via a network, and a separate copy of each file can be shared with each student in the class. In order to facilitate the sharing of multiple copies of the file, a share pool is created in a partition of the storage service allocated to the instructor. The share pool includes a number of stub files that are placeholders for clones of the shared file. A share handler service receives a request to share a file with a class, requests a number of stub files from the share pool, and utilizes the number of stub files to generate clones of the shared file in the partition of the storage service. Students are then granted access to the clones in the partition.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method for providing access to a file through a storage service, the method comprising, by a hardware server device that implements the storage service:
 generating a share pool in a partition of the storage service, wherein the share pool includes a plurality of stub files; 
 receiving a request to establish a plurality of clones that correspond to the file; 
 selecting, based on a number of the plurality of clones, a subset of stub files from the plurality of stub files; 
 migrating the subset of stub files from the share pool to a folder associated with the file, such that the subset of stub files are removed from share pool and added to the folder; 
 establishing the plurality of clones by updating the subset of stub files to reference the file; 
 sharing the plurality of clones with a plurality of users of the storage service to enable client devices to access the file; and 
 in response to identifying, based on a satisfaction of a threshold, that the share pool requires additional stub files:
 generating the additional stub files to replenish the share pool. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein each stub file of the plurality of stub files is a copy of a seed file that does not include any content related to the file. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the partition of the storage service is allocated to an instructor for a class. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein each clone of the plurality of clones includes an identifier associated with a respective student enrolled in the class. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the threshold is satisfied when a number of the plurality of stub files in the share pool is less than a predefined amount; and 
 the threshold value is based on a multiple of an average number of users associated with the partition of the storage service. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein establishing the plurality of clones by updating the subset of stub files based on the file further comprises, for each stub file of the subset of stub files:
 changing a file name for the stub file; and 
 copying content related to the file into the stub file. 
 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 6 , wherein:
 the share pool is a hidden folder in the partition, and 
 the folder is a visible folder. 
 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the storage service implements:
 a document application programming interface (API) for performing file operations on files in the partition of the storage service; and 
 a share API for granting access to the files in the partition of the storage service to other users of the storage service. 
 
     
     
       9. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by at least one hardware processor included in a hardware server device, cause the hardware server device to provide access to a file through a storage service implemented the hardware server device, by carrying out steps that include:
 generating a share pool in a partition of the storage service, wherein the share pool includes a plurality of stub files; 
 receiving a request to establish a plurality of clones that correspond to the file; 
 selecting, based on a number of the plurality of clones, a subset of stub files from the plurality of stub files; 
 migrating the subset of stub files from the share pool to a folder associated with the file, such that the subset of stub files are removed from share pool and added to the folder; 
 establishing the plurality of clones by updating the subset of stub files to reference the file; 
 sharing the plurality of clones with a plurality of users of the storage service to enable client devices to access the file; and 
 in response to identifying, based on a satisfaction of a threshold, that the share pool requires additional stub files:
 generating the additional stub files to replenish the share pool. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein each stub file of the plurality of stub files is a copy of a seed file that does not include any content related to the file. 
     
     
       11. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein the partition of the storage service is allocated to an instructor for a class. 
     
     
       12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 11 , wherein each clone of the plurality of clones includes an identifier associated with a respective student enrolled in the class. 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the threshold is satisfied when a number of the plurality of stub files in the share pool is less than a predefined amount; and 
 the threshold value is based on a multiple of an average number of users associated with the partition of the storage service. 
 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 9 , wherein establishing the plurality of clones by updating the subset of stub files based on the file further comprises, for each stub file of the subset of stub files:
 changing a file name for the stub file; and 
 copying content related to the file into the stub file. 
 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 14 , wherein:
 the share pool is a hidden folder in the partition, and 
 the folder is a visible folder. 
 
     
     
       16. A hardware server device that implements a storage service for providing access to a file, the hardware server device comprising:
 at least one hardware processor; and 
 at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, cause the hardware server device to carry out steps that include:
 generating a share pool in a partition of the storage service, wherein the share pool includes a plurality of stub files; 
 receiving a request to establish a plurality of clones that correspond to the file; 
 selecting, based on a number of the plurality of clones, a subset of stub files from the plurality of stub files; 
 migrating the subset of stub files from the share pool to a folder associated with the file, such that the subset of stub files are removed from share pool and added to the folder; 
 establishing the plurality of clones by updating the subset of stub files to reference the file; 
 sharing the plurality of clones with a plurality of users of the storage service to enable client devices to access the file; and 
 in response to identifying, based on a satisfaction of a threshold, that the share pool requires additional stub files:
 generating the additional stub files to replenish the share pool. 
 
 
 
     
     
       17. The hardware server device of  claim 16 , wherein each stub file of the plurality of stub files is a copy of a seed file that does not include any content related to the file. 
     
     
       18. The hardware server device of  claim 16 , wherein the partition of the storage service is allocated to an instructor for a class. 
     
     
       19. The hardware server device of  claim 18 , wherein each clone of the plurality of clones includes an identifier associated with a respective student enrolled in the class. 
     
     
       20. The hardware server device of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the threshold is satisfied when a number of the plurality of stub files in the share pool is less than a predefined amount; and 
 the threshold value is based on a multiple of an average number of users associated with the partition of the storage service.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/648,364 entitled “SHARE POOLS FOR SHARING FILES VIA A STORAGE SERVICE,” filed Mar. 26, 2018, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     FIELD 
     The described embodiments relate generally to a software framework configured to implement various techniques in a classroom setting. More particularly, the present embodiments relate to sharing documents between instructors and students in a classroom setting. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Ever since the invention of audio visual (AV) devices such as televisions, projection systems, and tape decks, school districts and instructors have been incorporating materials into their lesson plans that utilize these devices to provide information to students in new and engaging ways. Instructors were not merely limited to textbooks, lectures, and written assignments. With the advent of the information age, the Internet has opened new horizons in the classroom. Instructors can now draw from a nearly unlimited resource of information in order to create interactive lesson plans that are engaging and productive. 
     However, the tools available to instructors when developing these lesson plans are limited. For example, a Wikipedia® article may provide useful background material on a particular subject. Nevertheless, the instructor may not have a good option to share the article with their students. The instructor could print out the article on paper hand-outs, which was the traditional way to distribute such materials to students. However, this method is wasteful and loses some of the interactive elements (e.g., animations, hyperlinks, etc.) of the article as presented online. Alternatively, the instructor could email a hyperlink for the article to each of their students to view on a computing device at home or provided by the school. While such methods allow the students to view the article within the proper context to interact with the interactive elements embedded within the article, there is no way for the instructor to track whether each student clicked on the hyperlink or even whether each student actually read through the entire article. 
     SUMMARY 
     This paper describes various embodiments that relate to a client-server architecture that enables the sharing of documents between an instructor and students. A hand-out can include attachments that specify placeholders for hand-ins and/or activities to be performed by the student as part of the assignment. The hand-out can specify documents that an instructor shares with the students in a class. A set of services facilitates the sharing of the documents between different client devices. 
     In some embodiments, a share pool is generated in a partition of a storage service accessible via a network. The share pool includes stub files created as placeholders to create clones of a file to be shared via the storage service. In response to a request to generate a number of clones of a shared file, a number of stub files can be removed from the share pool. The stub files can be moved to a different location within the storage service, a file name for the stub files can be changed, and data from a shared file can be copied into the stub files. The clones of the shared file are then shared with a number of users of the storage service. 
     In some embodiments, each stub file is a copy of a seed file that does not include any content related to the shared file. The stub file is a placeholder within the hierarchy of directories or folders within a file system. In some embodiments, the partition of the storage service is allocated to an instructor for a class. Each clone of the shared file is associated with an identifier for a particular student enrolled in the class. 
     In some embodiments, the share pool is replenished with a number of additional stub files in response to the number of stub files being removed from the share pool. The replenishing can be managed by a pool service executed by a server device. 
     In some embodiments, creating the number of clones of the file from the number of stub files includes, for each stub file in the number of stub files: moving the stub file from a first location in the partition of the storage service to a second location in the partition of the storage service, changing the file name for the stub file, and copying content related to the file into the stub file to create the clone of the file from the stub file. The first location can be a hidden folder in the partition and the second location can be a folder associated with a hand-out for a class. 
     In some embodiment, the storage service implements a document application programming interface for performing file operations on files in the partition of the storage service. The storage service can also implement a share application programming interface for granting access to the files in the partition of the storage service to other users of the storage service. 
     In some embodiments, at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium is disclosed that is configured to store instructions. The instructions, in response to being executed by at least one processor included in a server device, cause the server device to share files with a plurality of users. The server device generates a share pool including one or more stub files stored in a storage service; receives a request to generate a number of clones of a shared file stored in the storage service; allocates a number of stub files from the share pool to create clones of the shared file; and provides, through the storage service, access to the clones of the shared file to the plurality of users. 
     In some embodiments, the storage service is divided into a number of partitions having different scope. The share pool is stored in a first partition having a scope associated with an instructor for a class, and each clone of the shared file is associated with an identifier for a student enrolled in the class. 
     In some embodiments, the share pool is replenished with a number of additional stub files to ensure that the number of stub files in the share pool is greater than a pre-defined threshold value. In some embodiments, the pre-defined threshold value is based on a multiple of an average number of students enrolled in classes offered by a school district. 
     In some embodiments, a system is disclosed for sharing files among a plurality of users. The system includes a storage service implemented by one or more server devices and one or more services configured to: manage a share pool associated with a user of the storage service, allocate stub files in the share pool to create a number of clones of a shared file, and associate a number of additional users of the storage service with the number of clones of the shared file. The share pool includes one or more stub files stored in a partition of the storage service allocated to the user. Each clone of the shared file being associated with a particular additional user of the number of additional users. 
     In some embodiments, the one or more services include a share handler service, a pool service, and a sharing service. The share handler service is configured to receive requests to share files with a class and request a number of stub files from the share pool. The pool service is configured to create share pools in partitions of the storage service. The sharing service is configured to generate clones of files in a particular partition of the storage service and grant access to the clones to additional users. The share handler service is configured to call the pool service to request the number of stub files from the share pool. In some embodiments, the one or more services are included in at least two server devices connected over a network. 
     This Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a network environment designed to operate within a classroom setting, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a client-server architecture implemented to enable progress tracking for client devices in the classroom setting, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a graphical user interface of the client application, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a client-server relationship between the hand-out service and a client application and/or daemon, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates a syncing mechanism implemented by the daemon, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 6A-6E  illustrate a graphical user interface of the client application, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a client-server relationship between the hand-out service and a number of client application(s) and/or daemon(s) associated with a plurality of students in a class, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates a client-server architecture for sharing files between instructors and students, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a sharing architecture for creating share pools within a storage service, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a partition of the storage service allocated to an instructor, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a number of clones of a file created from stub files in the share pool, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 12  is a flow chart of a method for managing a share pool, in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a detailed view of an exemplary computing device that can be used to implement the various apparatus and/or methods described herein, in accordance with some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Representative applications of methods and apparatus according to the present application are described in this section. These examples are being provided solely to add context and aid in the understanding of the described embodiments. It will thus be apparent to one skilled in the art that the described embodiments may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well known process steps have not been described in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the described embodiments. Other applications are possible, such that the following examples should not be taken as limiting. 
     In the following detailed description, references are made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the description and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in accordance with the described embodiments. Although these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice the described embodiments, it is understood that these examples are not limiting; such that other embodiments may be used, and changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the described embodiments. 
     The digital classroom provides students with new opportunities to learn within a rich environment of interactive applications installed on computing devices provided to the students. While devices can allow students to interact with information online that is accessed through a browser or provided through specialized applications, the benefits to these activities are usually lost due to the difficult nature of tracking these activities. Consequently, new techniques for incorporating these materials into a unified classroom architecture is desired. 
     A classroom setting can provide instructors and students with a number of devices and applications that enable the instructor to assign the students activities. The instructor can create hand-outs that include attachments. The attachments can include files to be shared with the class. The instructor can store the files remotely in a storage service accessible via a network. In order to share the file with the group of students in a class, a separate copy of the file can be shared with each student in the class. 
     In order to facilitate the sharing of multiple copies of the file with low latency after the hand-out is published, a share pool is created in a partition of the storage service allocated to the instructor. The share pool includes a number of stub files that are placeholders for the clones of the shared file. A share handler service receives a request to share a file with a class, requests a number of stub files from the share pool, and utilizes the stub files from the share pool to generate clones of the shared file in a partition of the storage service. The group of students are then associated with the clones of the shared file within the storage service such that the students are provided access to view and/or edit the clones of the shared file. The share pool can reduce a latency from the time a hand-out is published until the time students have access to the files attached to the hand-out from minutes to seconds. 
     These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to  FIGS. 1-13 ; however, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates a network environment  100  designed to operate within a classroom setting, in accordance with some embodiments. The network environment  100  includes a number of separate and distinct computing devices configured to communicate over a network  150 . The network environment  100  includes server devices  110  and client devices  120 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the client devices  120  can include, but are not limited to, laptop computers  120 - 1  and  120 - 5 , tablet computers  120 - 2 ,  120 - 3 , and  120 - 4 , and mobile devices  120 - 6 . It will be appreciated that the network environment  100  can include other types of client devices  120  such as desktop computers, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches), personal digital assistants, and the like. 
     The following terms may be used throughout this paper. A class refers to a group of individuals who meet regularly to be taught a particular subject or activity. The class can include one or more instructors and a number of students enrolled in the class. A classroom setting refers to a group of related devices utilized by a group of users associated with a class. A school refers to an administrative collection of a number of classes taught by a group of instructors. A school district refers to an organization that manages one or more schools. 
     In some embodiments, an instructor utilizes one or more devices to disseminate materials to students within a class. As shown in  FIG. 1 , the instructor can utilize a laptop computer such as client device  120 - 1  or a tablet computer such as client device  120 - 2  to create materials for the students. In some embodiments, the laptop computer and/or the tablet computer include applications configured to create interactive assignments for the students. The assignments can include links to materials available over the network  150 , such as hyperlinks to websites available from a first server device  110 - 1  or documents stored on a second server device  110 - 2 . The applications can also enable the instructor to easily distribute the assignments to the students. The students can utilize the tablet computers such as client device  120 - 3  and  120 - 4 , the laptop computer such as client device  120 - 5 , and/or the mobile device such as client device  120 - 6  to access the assignments and view the materials included in each assignment. 
     In some embodiments, a third server device  110 - 3  hosts one or more services utilized by the applications included on the various client devices  120 . For example, the third server device  110 - 3  can host a service for uploading data structures or files that define an assignment to a network-based storage resource. As another example, the third server device  110 - 3  can host a service that tracks which client devices  120  are registered to a particular classroom setting. As yet another example, the third server device  110 - 3  can host a service that tracks a progress of each student corresponding with a particular assignment. In some embodiments, services utilized by the application(s) can be hosted on more than one server device  110 . In addition, the services can be hosted by different service providers. For example, a first server device  110 -maintained by a first service provider can be configured to host a network-based storage service, and a second server device  110 - 2  maintained by a second service provider can be configured to host a school management service. 
     A description of a software framework for applications executed by the various client devices  120  within the classroom setting is set forth below. In addition, a description of various services utilized by the applications described herein and hosted on one or more server device  110  is set forth below. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a client-server architecture  200  implemented to enable progress tracking for client devices  120  in the classroom setting, in accordance with some embodiments. The client-server architecture  200  includes a client application  205  implemented on a client device  120  and configured to interact with a number of services implemented on server devices  110  accessible over the network  150 . The client-server architecture  200  enables instructors to create assignments that include rich interactive materials provided by one or more third-party applications installed on the client device  120  as well as integrate seamless tracking of progress such that an instructor can monitor the students&#39; effort at keeping abreast of the assignments in a class. 
     In some embodiments, the client application  205  is a binary executable configured to be executed by a processor included in the client device  120 . The binary executable can be designed to work within a particular operating environment, such as a target hardware platform designed to execute a target operating system. Consequently, the client application  205  can be implemented using multiple versions of the source code compiled for different operating environments. For example, a first version of the client application  205  can be designed for a laptop computer  120 - 1  and a second version of the client application  205  can be designed for a tablet computer  120 - 2 . 
     In some embodiments, the client application  205  is designed to connect with one or more services over the network  150 . The services can include, but are not limited to, a hand-out service  220 , a hand-in service  230 , a school management service  240 , a progress pipeline  250 , an identity service  260 , and a report service  270 . The client application  205  can be configured to access a service via an application programming interface (API) implemented by the service. For example, a web-based service can implement an API using a simple object access protocol (SOAP) or a representational state transfer protocol (REST) that enables the client application  205  to access and/or operate on resources associated with the service. The API can enable the client application  205  to transmit data to and/or receive data from the service. API calls can also cause the service to perform various operations and/or call additional services using additional API calls. 
     In other embodiments, the client application  205  is a web-based application displayed within a browser of a client device  120 . The client application  205  can include a series of resources (e.g., hypertext markup language (HTML) documents, images, scripts, etc.) requested from a server associated with a website. The browser receives the resources and interprets the resources to display a representation of the website on a display of the client device  120 . The client application  205  is therefore platform-independent in that the client application  205  can be displayed on a plurality of different client devices  120  running different operating systems. 
     In some embodiments, the client application  205  interfaces with the one or more services through an API gateway  210 . The API gateway  210  is implemented by a server device  110  and redirects API calls received from client devices  120  to the various services in the client-server architecture  200 . In other embodiments, the API gateway  210  is omitted or selectively bypassed and the client devices  120  transmit API calls to the services directly. 
     In some embodiments, the client application  205  enables an instructor to create hand-outs for a class. A hand-out refers to a file or data structure that includes information related to an assignment intended to be published to students within the class. The hand-out can include a number of fields including: a hand-out identifier, a title of the assignment, a body of the assignment that includes text-based instructions for the students on how to complete the assignment, a due date for the assignment, and a list of attachments associated with the assignment. The hand-outs can be created and stored locally on a particular client device  120 . The attachments can include files (e.g., documents, images, videos, etc.), placeholders for a file the student is to turn in, and activities the student is to complete as part of the assignment. The activities are performed using third-party applications that implement a portion of a class kit software framework. Examples of activities can include, but are not limited to, reading a chapter of a digital book or textbook, taking a quiz or answering a set of problems, tracking time spent performing a task such as playing an interactive game or performing a digital experiment, and so forth. 
     In some embodiments, the client-server architecture  200  includes a hand-out service  220 . The hand-out service  220  is configured to manage hand-outs. In some embodiments, the hand-out service  220  is configured to sync hand-outs created on one client device  120  with another client device  120  to enable an instructor to work on multiple devices. In some embodiments, the hand-out service  220  is configured to enable the hand-outs to be published to a list of students. Publishing a hand-out refers to making the information in the hand-out available to be viewed by the students on a separate client device  120  as well as handling various back-end operations related to the attachments for the hand-outs. 
     In some embodiments, the client-server architecture  200  can also include a hand-in service  230 . A hand-in refers to a placeholder for a file or data structure, which indicates that a student is instructed to create a file or data structure to turn in in order to complete the assignment. A student can create the file or data structure and submit the file or data structure to the hand-in service  230  to satisfy the requirement for completing the assignment. 
     In some embodiments, the client-server architecture  200  can also include a school management service  240  configured to manage administrative information for a school district related to the structure of classes. For example, the school management service  240  can maintain records that indicate which instructors are assigned to each of a plurality of classes. The records can also indicate which students are enrolled in each of the plurality of classes. Each instructor or student can be assigned an instructor identifier or a student identifier, respectively. Each class created by the school district can be associated with a class identifier. A separate record can then be created for each class identifier that lists a roster of student identifiers for students enrolled in the class. In some embodiments, a relational database associates instructor identifiers and/or student identifiers with class identifiers in one or more tables. The relational database can be queried using Structured Query Language (SQL) or some other type of query language to return information that identifies the structure of various classes. 
     In some embodiments, the school management service  240  includes an administrative interface that enables an administrator for a school district to create classes and specify the students enrolled in the class. The administrative interface can be, e.g., a web-based interface requiring the administrator to provide credentials in order to change the rosters for each class. In other embodiments, the school management service  240  includes an interface to download data from a separate and distinct school information system that the school district maintains separately from the client-server architecture  200 . The classes and rosters can be automatically downloaded from the school information system. 
     In some embodiments, the client-server architecture  200  can also include a progress pipeline  250 . The progress pipeline  250  provides a secure architecture for managing information related to progress tracking as students complete the assignments described in the hand-outs published by the instructors. The client devices  120  of the students can include a background process (i.e., a daemon) configured to monitor activities related to one or more third-party applications installed on the client devices  120 . The daemon tracks progress made by the students in completing the assignments specified in one or more published hand-outs and transmits information related to the progress of each student to the progress pipeline  250 . The progress pipeline  250  aggregates and stores the progress information to enable the instructor to view comprehensive reports for one or more students in a class. 
     In some embodiments, the progress pipeline  250  is implemented as a number of separate services executing on different server devices  110  and structured to process progress information in a dataflow in a pipelined manner. In other embodiments, the progress pipeline  250  can be implemented with a number of services executing on a single server device  110 . 
     In some embodiments, the client-server architecture  200  can also include an identity service  260 . The identity service  260  enables data related to particular client devices  120  to be associated with particular people (e.g., instructors or students) within the classroom setting. In some embodiments, the identity service  260  associates various user identifiers or device identifiers with a directory service identifier limited in scope to the server-side of the client-server architecture  200 . The use of the identity service  260  protects the integrity of data by disassociating personally identifying information collected by the daemon from any identifiers that are utilized outside of a specific scope (e.g., the classroom setting). Thus, data like how a user scores on tests cannot be tied to other information outside of said scope like what kind of music a student likes to listen to on a music-sharing service offered by the same service provider. The integrity of such personally identifying information can be particularly important given that most students are minors and there may be special considerations taken into account when protecting the data of vulnerable users of a certain age. 
     In some embodiments, the client-server architecture  200  can also include a report service  270  that enables aggregated data related to the progress of activities completed by a number of students to be compiled and provided to a client device  120  to be reviewed by an instructor. The report service  270  can also analyze the progress information received from a plurality of students in order to generate statistical data related to the progress information. For example, the report service  270  can generate statistics related to how many students have completed a particular activity. The report service  270  can also track results related to activities (e.g., number of correctly answered questions from a quiz activity, a time to complete the quiz, etc.). In other embodiments, the client application  205  receives report data on individual students from the report service  270 , and the client application  205  aggregates the report data and/or calculates the statistics for the class. 
     It will be appreciated that the client application  205  can be configured to interact with some or all of the described services in the client-server architecture  200 . For example, the client application  205  can be configured to generate calls to the hand-out service  220 , the hand-in service  230 , the progress pipeline  250 , and the report service  270 . In some embodiments, the client application  205  is not configured to interact with a subset of the services, such as the school management service  240  and/or the identity service  260 . Instead, other services can generate calls to these services in response to receiving a call from the client application  205 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a GUI  300  of the client application  205 , in accordance with some embodiments. The GUI  300  can be presented to an instructor on a display  302  of the client device  120 . As shown in  FIG. 3 , the GUI  300  is displayed on a tablet computer, such as client device  120 - 2 . The GUI  300  can include a number of elements including graphics, text, icons, shapes, input fields, output fields, display regions, etc. 
     In some embodiments, the GUI  300  includes a first display region  310 , a second display region  320 , and a third display region  330 . The first display region  310  is utilized to display representations of a hand-out previously created by an instructor for a particular class. The second display region  320  is utilized to display representations of classes associated with a particular instructor. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first display region  310  occupies a first portion of the pixels included in the display  302 , and the second display region  320  occupies a second portion of the pixels included in the display  302 . 
     The first display region  310  includes a header that indicates elements  312  represent separate and distinct hand-outs associated with a user account for a particular instructor. In some embodiments, each element  312  is defined by a box that includes a title of the hand-out, a descriptor for a due date associated with the hand-out, and an indication of how many students have completed the hand-out. For example, a first element  312 - 1  is associated with a first hand-out for a “Flora &amp; Fauna” assignment, which has a due date of March 12 and has been completed by all of the students; and a second element  312 - 2  is associated with a second hand-out for a “Test Preparation” assignment, which has a due date of March 15 and has only been completed by seven out of twenty-two students assigned the hand-out. It will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the elements  312  can take different forms. For example, the elements  312  can omit the due date and/or completion indicator. Alternately, the elements  312  can include information in addition to or in lieu of the due date and/or the completion indicator. Additionally, the elements  312  can include graphics such as an image or icons representing different activities assigned in the hand-out. In some cases, the graphics can be animated, such as, by playing a video or showing a slide show of images attached to the hand-out as a background of the element  312 . 
     The second display region  320  includes a header that indicates elements  322  represent separate and distinct classes associated with a user account for a particular instructor. In some embodiments, each element  322  is defined by a box that includes a title of the class and a descriptor for a number of hand-outs assigned to the class. For example, a first element  322 - 1  is associated with a “Science A” class, which has two hand-outs assigned; a second element  322 - 2  is associated with a “Math A” class, which has three hand-outs assigned; and a third element  322 - 3  is associated with a “Math B” class, which has zero hand-outs assigned. It will be appreciated that, in other embodiments, the elements  322  can take different forms. For example, the elements  322  can omit an indicator for the number of hand-outs assigned to a class. Alternately, the elements  322  can include information in addition to or in lieu of the title of the class and the indicator for the number of hand-outs assigned to the class. For example, the elements  322  can include a number of students enrolled in the class. Additionally, the elements  322  can include graphics such as an image or a background color coded to indicate a particular subject or department related to the class. 
     In some embodiments, an instructor can select a particular class using an input interface of the client device  120 . For example, an instructor can use a touch interface to select an element  322  associated with one of the available classes associated with the instructor. Upon selection of a particular element  322 , the selected element  322  is activated and the elements  312  in the first display region  310  may be updated to reflect the hand-outs associated with the class represented by the selected element  322  in the second display region  320 . A selected element  322  (e.g., the currently activated element) can be highlighted to indicate the element  322  is active. Highlighting can be implemented by increasing the size of the element, changing a color associated with the element  322  or changing the color or weight of a border of the element  322 , displaying a box around the selected element  322 , and so forth. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the first element  322 - 1  is activated and shown as larger than the second element  322 - 2  and the third element  322 - 3 . 
     It will be appreciated that, in some embodiments, there may be insufficient room within the first display region  310  and/or the second display region  320  to present all of the classes and/or all of the hand-outs assigned for a particular class within the extents of the display  302 . In such cases, the user of the client device  120  can use input commands, such as touch gestures, to display additional elements. For example, an icon can be displayed that indicates some elements are not displayed. The additional elements will be displayed in the first display region  310  or the second display region  320  responsive to a user selecting the icon. In another example, a user can use a swipe touch gesture to scroll horizontally to display additional elements while other elements are moved within or removed from the particular display region. 
     A third display region  330  is located proximate a top edge of the display  302 . The third display region  330  includes elements that enable a user of the client application  205  to sign-in to a user account, generate new handouts for a particular class, or edit previously generated hand-outs stored locally on the client device  120  and/or remotely on a server device  110 . In some embodiments, the third display region  330  is hidden and can be displayed responsive to a user input, such as by using a vertical swipe touch gesture to cause the third display region  330  to be unhidden. 
     A first icon  332  is displayed proximate a left side of the third display region  330 . The first icon  332 , when selected by a user, can cause the client application  205  to prompt a user to enter credentials to sign-in to a user account associated with an instructor. In some embodiments, the first display region  310  and the second display region  320  are hidden until a user signs into a particular user account using the first icon  332 . In some embodiments, upon launch of the client application  205 , a separate interface is displayed to the user that prompts the user to enter credentials to sign-in to a user account. The GUI  300  is only displayed on the display  302  once the user has successfully signed into a particular user account. The first icon  332  can then be used to sign-out of the user account and/or to sign-in to a different user account. 
     A second icon  334  is displayed proximate a right side of the third display region  330 . The second icon  334 , when selected by a user, can cause the client application  205  to generate a file or data structure in a file system of the client device  120  in order to store information related to a new hand-out. In some embodiments, the new file or data structure is automatically associated with the active class selected in the second display region  320 . The instructor can then add information to the file or data structure using a different GUI, which is described in more detail below with reference to  FIGS. 6A-6E . 
     A third icon  336  is displayed proximate the right side of the third display region  330 . The third icon  336 , when selected by a user, can cause the client application  205  to retrieve information stored in a file or data structure for a previously-generated hand-out. In some embodiments, one of the elements  312  in the first display region  310  is activated, either automatically based on selection criteria or manually responsive to input provided by a user. For example, an element  312  can be selected automatically to be activated based on a smallest difference between the current date and a due date for a hand-out of all hand-outs stored for a particular class when the element  322  that represents the class is activated. Alternately, an element  312  can be selected manually to be activated in response to a touch gesture input (e.g., a tap input) in an area of the display  302  that corresponds to the particular element  312 . Although not shown explicitly in  FIG. 3 , a selected element  312  within the first display region  310  (e.g., the currently activated element) can be highlighted to indicate the selected element  312  is active. Responsive to selecting the third icon  336 , the different GUI, which is described in more detail below with reference to  FIGS. 6A-6E , can be displayed by the client device  120  and populated with data from the file or data structure associated with the active element  312 . 
     In some embodiments, the first display region  310  includes representations for hand-outs that are being prepared as well as hand-outs that have been published to a list of students. In some cases, the elements  312  can include an indication of whether the hand-out represented by the element  312  has been published or has yet to be published (i.e., is still being prepared by the instructor). 
     It will be appreciated that the GUI  300  described above and shown in  FIG. 3  is merely an exemplary embodiment of a GUI designed for the client application  205 . In other embodiments, the GUI for the client application  205  can take other forms. The look and feel of the GUI may also correspond to standard display elements associated with a particular operating system or target environment. Furthermore, in yet other embodiments, the client application  205  is a web-based application displayed in a browser of the client device  120 . In such embodiments, the GUI  300  can include a plurality of Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) elements included in one or more HTML documents. The representation of such elements can depend on the implementation of the browser application in the client device  120  and, in some cases, user preferences associated with the browser application. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates a client-server relationship between the hand-out service  220  and a client application  205  and/or daemon  440 , in accordance with some embodiments. The hand-out service  220  provides a means for an instructor to create and assign hand-outs to a list of students enrolled in a class associated with the instructor. As described above, the client application  205  is configured to prompt a user to provide credentials associated with a user account. If the user account is associated with an instructor, then the client application  205  enables the instructor to generate files or data structures for hand-outs within the memory  420  of the client device  120 . In some embodiments, these files or data structures can be synced to a network-based storage service, which enables the instructor to access the information related to the hand-out from multiple client devices  120 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , a client device  120  includes a processor  410 , a display  302 , and a memory  420 . The memory  420  includes an operating system  430 , the client application  205 , a daemon  440 , and a local database  450 . The daemon  440  is a background process that implements an API that enables the client application  205  to communicate asynchronously with the daemon  440  to perform certain tasks. One of those tasks operates to create a file in the local database  450 . 
     In some embodiments, the daemon  440  maintains a local database  450 . In some embodiments, an instructor can create a new file or data structure for a hand-out using the client application  205 . The client application  205  requests the daemon  440  to create a file or data structure for the hand-out in the local database  450  maintained by the daemon  440 . The instructor can populate the file or data structure for the hand-out using the GUI  600 , discussed in more detail below with reference to  FIGS. 6A-6E . 
     In some embodiments, the daemon  440  is configured to sync files or data structures in the local database  450  to a remote database  460 . The remote database  460  can be a distributed database, such as a cloud-based database service, implemented on a number of server devices  110 . The daemon  440  interfaces with the remote database  460  in order to sync the files or data structures in the local database  450  with remote versions of the files or data structures such that the files or data structures can be accessed and/or modified using multiple client devices  120 . The syncing mechanism will be described in more detail below with reference to  FIG. 5 . 
     Once a hand-out has been synced to the remote database  460 , the instructor can then switch to a different client device  120 , using a different version of the client application  205 , and access the version of the hand-out stored on the remote server  110  using the new client device  120 . Any changes to a local copy of the resource stored on the new client device  120  will be synced to the remote database  460  to update the version of the hand-out on the remote database. These changes are then pushed to the client application  205  on the previous client device  120  to update a copy of the local resource in the local database  450  on the initial client device  120 . 
     For example, an instructor can open a client application  205  on a laptop computer  120 - 1  and create a local version of a hand-out stored in a memory of the laptop computer  120 - 1 . The daemon  440  on the laptop computer  120 - 1  transmits a copy of the local version of the hand-out to the remote database  460  to sync the hand-out with a version of the hand-out stored in the remote database  460 . The instructor then opens a separate client application  205  on a tablet computer  120 - 2  and provides credentials for the instructor&#39;s user account. Opening the client application  205  on the tablet computer  120 - 2  causes the daemon  440  to download the remote version of the handout stored on the remote database  460  to a memory of the tablet computer  120 - 2 , where the client application  205  on the tablet computer  120 - 2  can access the local copy of the hand-out and modify the local copy of the hand-out in the memory of the tablet computer  120 - 2 . Any modifications to the local copy of the hand-out can be synced back to the remote database  460  such that the version of the hand-out stored on the remote database  460  is up to date. The next time the instructor opens the client application  205  on the laptop computer  120 - 1 , the client application  205  will cause the daemon  440  to request a current version of the hand-out from the remote database  460 , which transmits the version of the hand-out stored on the remote database  460  to the daemon  440  in the laptop computer  120 - 1  to store in the memory of the laptop computer  120 - 1  as the local version of the hand-out. 
     In some embodiments, the hand-out service  220  is implemented as a set of instructions, stored in a memory of a server device  110 , which is configured to be executed by a processor of the server device  110 . The hand-out service  220  manages distribution of hand-outs between client devices  120  associated with instructors and students. In some embodiments, the hand-out service  220  implements the distribution of hand-outs using the remote database  460 . The hand-out service  220  creates zones  465  in the remote database  460 . Each zone  465  is scoped to a particular class. Alternately, each zone  465  is scoped to a group of students. Each class associated with the instructor can be associated with a different group of students. 
     The instructor can create hand-outs in the local database  450  of a client device. The hand-outs are synced to a personal zone  465 - 1  for the instructor in the remote database  460 . Once a particular hand-out is prepared and ready to be assigned to a group of students, the instructor can publish the hand-out utilizing the client application  205  to assign the hand-out to the group of students. The client application  205  requests the hand-out service  220  to publish the hand-out. The hand-out service  220  then causes a copy of the hand-out to be copied to a new zone  465 - 2  in the remote database  460  scoped to the group of students specified in the hand-out. Each of the students within the scope of the new zone  465 - 2  is subscribed to the new zone  465 - 2  such that a daemon  440  in a client device  120  controlled by each of the students in the group of students syncs the copy of the published hand-out to a local memory of the client device  120  for the student. 
     It will be appreciated that the hand-out service  220  also generates hand-out identifiers that can be utilized to identify the resource for the hand-out stored in the remote database  460 . In some embodiments, a hand-out identifier is generated when the hand-out is published. In other embodiments, a hand-out identifier is generated when the hand-out is created. The resource for the hand-out is then copied to the new zone  465 - 2  and deleted from the personal zone  465 - 1  for the instructor when the hand-out is published. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates a syncing mechanism implemented by the daemon  440 , in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in  FIG. 5 , the daemon  440  is configured to interface, via a network  150 , with a database service  510  that provides a front-end for the remote database  460 . The database service  510  can be implemented on a server device  110 . In some embodiments, the remote database  460  is restricted to the scope of a particular organization or school district. Thus, all of the information stored within a remote database  460  is for a particular school district. In such embodiments, the database service  510  is configured to manage multiple remote databases  460  for different organizations or school districts. In various embodiments, the remote database  460  is a cloud-based distributed database service managed by a service provider. 
     In some embodiments, the database service  510  is configured to store files in a plurality of different zones  465  implemented within the remote database  460 . Each instructor and/or student in the school district can be assigned a different zone  465  as a personal zone within the remote database  460 . The personal zones  465  can store files or data structures associated with a particular user account. In addition, each class created by the school district can be assigned a class zone  465  to share resources with all students and instructors associated with a class. In alternative embodiments, zones  465  can be created for groups of students and/or instructors that can be a subset of a class or enrolled in two or more classes. The class zones  465  can be utilized to publish hand-outs to students and/or other instructors associated with a particular class. Zones  465  can be scoped to an organization, a class, or an individual (e.g., an instructor or a student). Zones  465  can also be utilized for different data. 
     In some embodiments, the database service  510  maintains subscriptions for each zone  465  that indicate a list of users (e.g., instructors and/or students) within the scope of each zone  465 . The database service  510  can push notifications to each of the client devices  120  for the users subscribed to a zone  465  whenever a resource within the zone  465  is updated. The daemon  440  on a particular client device  120  receives the notification and will download the updated resources from the zone  465  to update local copies of the resource  522  in the local database  450 . 
     It will be appreciated that different types of zones can be created to exploit the syncing mechanism in order to implement some functionality required by one or more services in the client-server architecture  200 . For example, zones can be created to store hand-outs, hand-ins, bookmarked contexts associated with third-party applications, roster information for a class, progress tracking information, etc. Furthermore, each of the zones described above can be scoped to a single user (i.e., as a personal zone) or multiple users. For example, a hand-out zone  465  is created to store data related to a hand-out (e.g., attachments, resources for hand-ins uploaded by students, etc.) and can be scoped to a group of students identified in the hand-out. A progress zone  465  is created to store progress information for a number of students. The progress zone  465  can be scoped to a class, or a particular hand-out published for a class. A roster zone  465  is created to store data related to class structure for an organization. The roster zone  465  can be scoped to the organization. 
       FIGS. 6A-6E  illustrate a GUI  600  of the client application  205 , in accordance with some embodiments. The GUI  600  can be used to edit the information stored in a hand-out an instructor is preparing to assign to a class. The GUI  600  can be presented on a display  302  of the client device  120 . As shown in  FIG. 6A , the GUI  600  is displayed on a tablet computer such as client device  120 - 2 . The GUI  600  can include a number of elements including graphics, text, icons, shapes, input fields, display regions, etc. In some embodiments, the GUI  600  is displayed in response to an instructor selecting the second icon  334  or the third icon  336  in the GUI  300 . 
     The GUI  600  includes a first display region  610 , a second display region  620 , and a third display region  630 . The first display region  610  is utilized to display information related to a hand-out created by an instructor for a particular class or group of students. The second display region  620  is utilized to display attachments to the hand-out. As shown in  FIG. 6 , the first display region  610  occupies a first portion of the pixels included in the display  302 , and the second display region  620  occupies a second portion of the pixels included in the display  302 . The third display region  630  occupies a third portion of the pixels included in the display  302 . In some embodiments, the third display region  630  can be hidden, and the third display region  630  is displayed responsive to user input such as using a swipe touch gesture to cause the third display region  630  to appear proximate a top edge of the display  302 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 6A , the first display region  610  includes an interface to indicate a group of students that will be assigned the hand-out. The interface shows a label (e.g., “To:”), a user interface element  612 , and a user interface element  614 . An instructor can specify a group of students to be assigned the hand-out by either typing an identifier for the student(s) in the user interface element  612  or selecting the user interface element  614  and selecting the group of students from a list. 
     In some embodiments, selecting the user interface element  614  causes the client application  205  to request roster data for the classes associated with the instructor signed into the client application  205 . The roster data includes identifiers for all students enrolled in any classes associated with the instructor. The client application  205  can request the list of identifiers from the school management service  240 . Alternately, the client application  205  can retrieve the list of identifiers from a local memory  420  of the client device  120 . For example, a roster service can periodically request the roster data from the school management service  240 , which stores the roster data in a roster zone  465  of the remote database  460 . The roster zone  465  can be scoped to a particular class and the instructor can be subscribed to the roster zones  465  for those classes associated with the instructor. Thus, through the syncing mechanism, the daemon  440  will download the roster data into the local database  450  of the client device  120 , where it can be accessed by the client application  205 . 
     The first display region  610  also includes an interface to indicate a due date for the students to complete the activities attached to the hand-out and submit any hand-ins assigned in the hand-out. The interface shows a label (e.g., “Due Date:”) and a user interface element  616 . The user interface element  616  can display a date (e.g., a time period) for completing the assignment. Selecting the user interface element  616  can cause a representation of a calendar to be displayed that let&#39;s an instructor select the date. 
     The first display region  610  also includes a number of text fields that can be edited by the instructor to change a title and a body of the hand-out. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6A , the instructor has specified a title of “Flora &amp; Fauna” for the hand-out and written a set of instructions provided to the student on how to complete the assignment. 
     The second display region  620  includes a pair of user interface elements referred to as a first icon  622  and a second icon  624 . The first icon  622  can be selected by an instructor to add a placeholder for a hand-in to the hand-out. The second icon  624  can be selected by an instructor to add an activity to the hand-out. Any attachments to the hand-out can be listed below the first icon  622  and the second icon  624 . As shown in  FIG. 6A , there are no placeholders for hand-ins or activities currently attached to this hand-out. 
     The third display region  630  includes user interface elements referred to as a first icon  632  and a second icon  634 . The first icon  632  in the third display region  630  enables a user to cancel the creation of a hand-out. The second icon  634  in the third display region  630  enables a user to post or publish a hand-out to the group of students associated with the hand-out. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6B , attaching a placeholder for a hand-in to the hand-out populates a box  640  of the second display region  620  with a number of user interface elements. For example, a first user interface element  642  enables the options for the hand-in to be edited, a second user interface element  644  displays information related to the hand-in, a third user interface element  646  enables a user to display more detailed information about the hand-in, and a fourth user interface element  648  enables a user to re-order the attachments to a hand-out or delete (e.g., un-attach) the placeholder for the hand-in from the hand-out. In some embodiments, the second user interface element  644  includes a thumbnail image of a representation of the resource for the hand-in and text located next to the thumbnail image that provides information related to the hand-in. For example, the text can indicate a title of the hand-in and a type of resource that will be generated for the hand-in. It will be appreciated that this information may be omitted or additional information may be included in lieu of the information described herein. 
     Returning to  FIG. 6A , selecting the second icon  624  causes the client application  205  to display an interface that includes user interface elements that enable an instructor to attach an activity to the hand-out. The types of activities can include an activity completed with a third-party application, an activity performed by viewing or editing an attachment, an activity completed by viewing a network resource associated with a bookmark or link within a browser application, and an activity completed by viewing a multimedia file (e.g., image(s), video(s), etc.). 
     As shown in  FIG. 6C , a box  650  can be displayed in response to a user selecting the second icon  624  in the GUI  600 . The box  650  includes a first user interface element  652  that enables an instructor to associate an application activity with the hand-out. For example, a third-party application can be configured to present a quiz to a student and prompt the student to answer the questions included in the quiz. As another example, a third-party application could provide an interactive lesson for a student that includes the student following instructions to perform a task (e.g., writing source code for a program, playing a game, matching images with words in a foreign language, etc.). As yet another example, the third-party application could present text for a digital book or textbook to a student to read one or more sections of the book or textbook. 
     The box  650  includes a second user interface element  654  that enables an instructor to attach a file to the hand-out. The file can include a document, a spreadsheet, a presentation (e.g., a slide deck), source code, or any other type of file that can be viewed with an application on the client device  120 . The attached file enables the instructor to distribute materials that are typically read or viewed by a student. In some embodiments, the instructor can specify whether a single file is shared among all students in the class, referred to as a collaborative option, or whether clones of a file (e.g., copies) are shared with each student individually. The instructor can also specify permissions associated with the file, rendering the attached file read-only or allowing read-write access for a student to edit the file. 
     The box  650  includes a third user interface element  656  that enables an instructor to attach a bookmark or link to the hand-out. A bookmark or link refers to a hyperlink that specifies a uniform resource locator (URL) for a resource accessible over a network such as the Internet. The link can enable students to view web-sites that may be pertinent to the lesson. 
     The box  650  includes a fourth user interface element  658  that enables an instructor to attach a multimedia file to the hand-out. A multimedia file can include a picture, a slide show, a video, or other types of multimedia such as virtual reality data or a three-dimensional model. The multimedia files can then be viewed by a student using an application installed on the client device  120 , such as an image viewer application. 
     When a user selects the first user interface element  652  to attach an activity associated with a third-party application to the hand-out, the box  650  can be replaced with the box  660 , as shown in  FIG. 6D . The box  660  provides an instructor with the ability to select the third-party application for the activity from a list of applications. 
     In some embodiments, the box  660  includes a first user interface element  662  to select any application from a list of available applications. However, in some cases, some third-party applications can implement at least a portion of a class kit software framework that enables the third-party application to provide progress data to one or more services for tracking progress of students that complete activities within the third-party application. These third-party applications that implement at least a portion of the class kit software framework can be referred to herein as progress applications. The progress applications that implement at least a portion of the software framework can be listed separately in individual user interface elements below the first user interface element  662 . For example, a second user interface element  664  enables an instructor to attach an activity for a first progress application, a third user interface element  666  enables an instructor to attach an activity for a second progress application, and a fourth user interface element  668  enables an instructor to attach an activity for a third progress application. 
     In some embodiments, a third-party application implements at least a portion of the class kit software framework, which provides a means for building interactive features into the third-party application. For example, the class kit software framework enables a software developer to define a context associated with the application. As used herein, a context refers to metadata that describes the structure of the application. For example, a digital textbook can be described using a context that defines the chapters, sections, pages, problem sets, and similar structure within the digital textbook. In general, a context defines metadata that enables an activity to be defined for the third-party application. 
     The context also enables progress of the activity within the application to be tracked. For example, referring back to the digital textbook example, an instructor can define an activity related to reading a chapter of the textbook. The context enables the instructor to specify the particular chapter or section in the digital textbook the instructor wants to assign when defining the activity. Therefore, when specifying an activity using the GUI  600 , the client application  205  can consult the context to determine what activities can be completed within the third-party application. 
     In some embodiments, an instructor can manually search for a list of available contexts associated with one or more third-party applications and select a set of contexts that the instructor would like to assign to various hand-outs. The set of contexts can be saved in the memory  420  and associated with the client application  205  in order for the instructor to be able to attach activities associated with those contexts to a hand-out. 
     In other embodiments, each progress application installed on the client device  120  can notify the daemon  440  of available contexts provided by the progress application. The instructor can utilize the client application  205  to browse through a list of available contexts published by the one or more progress applications and select a number of contexts as favorite contexts. For example, by selecting the first user interface element  662  in the box  660 , the instructor is able to browse all available contexts provided by the progress applications installed on the client device  120 . The instructor can then select particular contexts as favorite contexts of the instructor. The subset of available contexts selected as favorites by the instructor can be stored in the local database  450  of the client device  120 . The favorite contexts selected by the instructor can also be synced to a personal zone  465  in the remote database  460  scoped to the instructor. The additional user interface elements in the box  660  can then be displayed with each user interface element corresponding to a particular favorite context. The instructor can then select a particular favorite context to attach to the hand-out. 
     As shown in  FIG. 6E , selecting the second user interface element  654  causes the client application  205  to display a box  670  that includes two user interface elements that enable an instructor to specify options associated with an attached file. In some embodiments, the options include permissions for the shared file as well as whether the file is collaborative. For example, as shown in  FIG. 6E , a user interface element  672  enables an instructor to indicate whether the file is collaborative. This option determines whether the file is shared as a single resource among a plurality of users or whether a copy of the file is shared with each user individually. A user interface element  674  enables an instructor to change permissions for the resource for the file. If the resource is read-only, then the student will not be able to edit the resource; however, if the resource is read-write, then the student can edit the file. 
     It will be appreciated that additional user interface elements, not explicitly shown in  FIG. 6E  can be included in the box  670 . For example, other user interface elements could enable an instructor to specify a file stored in the local memory  420  to attach to the hand-out. 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a client-server relationship between the hand-out service  220  and a number of client application(s)  205  and/or daemon(s)  440  associated with a plurality of students in a class, in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in  FIG. 7 , a class can include L students enrolled in the class, each student having access to one or more client devices  120 . As described above, the hand-out service  220  is configured to enable an instructor to create and manage hand-outs using a plurality of different client devices  120  controlled by the instructor. In addition, the hand-out service  220  is also configured to assist in distributing hand-outs to a client application  205  included in a plurality of additional client devices  120  associated with a group of students. 
     In some embodiments, an instructor can finish preparing the hand-out and then publish the hand-out to assign the hand-out to the group of students to view and complete. The hand-out service  220  copies the hand-out into a hand-out zone  465 , scoped to a group of students specified in the hand-out, in the remote database  460 . In response to the instructor publishing the hand-out, the hand-out service  220  notifies each of the client devices  120  associated with the students, over a variety of paths  710 , that the hand-out zone  465  in the remote database  460  has been updated. A path  710  can refer to a network path associated with a destination address for a network interface of a particular client device  120 . 
     The notification can be received by the daemon  440  included in each of the client devices  120 . The daemon  440  then downloads the data from the hand-out zone  465  to the local database  450  in the client device  120 . In some embodiments, the hand-out service  220  utilizes the school management service  240  in order to retrieve user identifiers for the students in the class. The user identifiers can be utilized to transmit the notifications, using a separate notification service, to each of the client devices  120  associated with a student in the given class. 
     In some embodiments, the group of students can be identified by the school management service  240 , which, in response to receiving a request from the hand-out service  220 , is configured to return a list of identifiers for the students enrolled in a particular class. In other embodiments, a roster service can interface with the school management service  240  to create roster data in a roster zone  465  of the remote database  460  scoped to the organization. The hand-out service  220  can then access the roster data from the remote database  460  instead of getting the roster data from the school management service  240  directly. 
     In response to the request to publish a hand-out, the hand-out service  220  can copy the hand-out from a personal zone  465  scoped to the instructor to a hand-out zone  465  scoped to the group of students in the class. Once the copy of the hand-out is stored in the hand-out zone  465 , the hand-out service  220  transmits a notification of the change to any client devices associated with students that are subscribed to the hand-out zone  465 . The daemon  440  included in a client device  120  of a student that is associated with the hand-out zone  465  will automatically download the copy of the hand-out stored in the hand-out zone  465  to a local memory of the client device  120  in response to receiving the notification from the hand-out service  220 . The hand-out can then be viewed by the client application  205  of the client device  120  for the student such that the student can complete the activities and/or view the materials attached to the hand-out. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates a client-server architecture  800  for sharing files between instructors and students, in accordance with some embodiments. It will be appreciated that an instructor can publish a hand-out, and, in some cases, students can immediately try to access the hand-out, including any attachments included therein, through their client devices  120 . Consequently, the mechanism for sharing attachments between teachers and students should minimize a lag between when the hand-out is published and when the attachments are synced to a local memory  420  of a client device  120  for each of the students. 
     As shown in  FIG. 8 , the client-server architecture  800  includes a storage service  810 , a workflow handler  840 , and a share handler  850  that interface with the client application  205 , the hand-out service  220 , and/or the remote database  460 . The storage service  810  provides memory, included in one or more server devices  110 , which can be allocated to different users. For example, each of the instructors and/or students can be allocated a portion of memory (e.g., 5 GB of memory) in the one or more server devices  110  as a partition of the storage service  810 . In some embodiments, the storage service  810  is a cloud-based storage service such as Amazon® S3 or any similar cloud-based storage service. 
     When an instructor attaches a file to a hand-out, the file will be shared with a number of students when the hand-out is published. The storage service  810  can be utilized by a set of client devices  120  to facilitate the sharing of these files. In some embodiments, an instructor, through the client device  120 , stores a file  822  within a partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to the instructor. Once the file  822  is stored in the partition  812 , the client application  205 , via the client device  120 , transmits metadata related to the file  822  within a data structure  824  for the hand-out that is transmitted to the hand-out service  220 , via the API gateway  210 . 
     The data structure  824  is stored in a hand-out zone  465 , scoped to the class or group of students to which the hand-out is assigned, within the remote database  460 . In some embodiments, the hand-out service  220  pulls roster data from the school management service  240 , such as determining a set of directory service identifiers for the group of students enrolled in a class identified by a class identifier. The hand-out service  220  can also pull directory service identifiers for any additional instructors that are associated with the class (e.g., if the class has multiple instructors). The client-server architecture  800  is configured to enable each of the students and/or additional instructors in the class to access the file  822  and/or clones of the file within the storage service  810 . 
     In some embodiments, the hand-out service  220  is configured to transmit a request to the workflow handler  840  to share the file with a number of students and/or additional instructors associated with the class. The workflow handler  840  operates asynchronously from the hand-out service  220 . In some embodiments, the workflow handler  840  includes a queue to store requests from the hand-out service  220 . The workflow handler  840  pops requests from the queue and transmits the requests to the share handler  850 . In some embodiments, the workflow handler  840  inspects the requests to ensure the requests are valid. Invalid requests can be discarded, while valid requests are forwarded to the share handler  850 . In other embodiments, the workflow handler  840  can perform additional operations or processing related to the requests, such as replacing a class identifier included in the request with a list of directory service identifiers corresponding to the students enrolled in the class. 
     The share handler  850  is configured to process the requests in order to share the file  822  with a class. The share handler  850  reads the request, which includes the metadata related to the file  822  as well as information such as a directory service identifier for each of the one or more students and/or additional instructors associated with the class. The share handler  850  interfaces with a number of additional services, including a pool service and a sharing service. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a sharing architecture  900  for creating share pools within a storage service  810 , in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a share pool refers to a set of stub files (e.g., empty placeholder files) that can be used to share a resource stored in a particular partition  812  of the storage service  810  with a plurality of different users of the storage service  810 . The set of stub files is created in a hidden folder of the partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to an instructor. Creating the stub files within the partition  812  enables faster sharing of a particular resource among users of the storage service  810  compared to creating copies of the resource from scratch. 
     As shown in  FIG. 9 , in some embodiments, the share handler  850  is connected to a pool service  910  and a sharing service  920 . The pool service  910  manages share pools created in various partitions of the storage service  810 . The pool service  910  utilizes a pool zone  465  in the remote database  460 , scoped to a particular user, such as the instructor. The pool service  910  is configured to create a share pool for each instructor such that the instructor can quickly share files attached to a hand-out. The pool service  910  utilizes a document API  902 , implemented as part of the storage service  810 , to create a number of stub files in the partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to the instructor. In some embodiments, the stub files are created in a hidden folder of the partition  812  such that the share pool is not visible to a user when viewing a representation of the partition  812  of the storage service  810 . 
     In some embodiments, the storage service  810  enables a user, such as the instructor, to store various files within a partition  812  allocated to the user. The storage service  810  can store files within a file system structure, such as a hierarchy of various folders or directories. Consequently, a root folder or directory is associated with the user and represents the sum total of the storage space allocated to the user. The user can then define additional folders or directories that reside in the root folder or directory. Each folder or directory can include files associated with that folder or directory. Each folder or directory can also include sub-folders or sub-directories. Therefore, a folder hierarchy or directory structure is created within the root folder or directory. 
     In some embodiments, the pool service  910  creates a hidden folder in the partition  812  that is not visible to a user. The pool service  910  then creates a number of stub files in the hidden folder. The number of stub files can be equal to a pre-defined threshold to generate a share pool of a particular size (e.g., number of stub files). 
     In some embodiments, the number of stub files can be set based on a class size for an organization. For example, the pool service  910  can determine an average number of students enrolled in the classes offered by a school district. The pool service  910  can then set the pre-defined threshold to create a share pool having a size based on a multiple of the average number of students enrolled in classes offered by the school district. For example, if the average number of students in a class for the school district is 25, then the number of placeholder files can be set to, e.g., three times the average number of students in a class—75. Alternatively, the size of the share pool can be based on a maximum number of students in any class for the organization. In yet other embodiments, the size of the share pool can be set manually and is unrelated to any roster data provided by the school management service  240 . For example, analysis of a number of organizations can determine that a share pool size equal to 50 is typically adequate for most use cases and, therefore, the pre-defined threshold is manually set at 50. 
     The pool service  910  creates the stub files in the hidden folder of the partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to the instructor. The pool service  910  then stores metadata related to the stub files in a pool zone  465 , scoped to the instructor, of the remote database  460 . For example, the pool service  910  can store a reference to each stub file in the share pool in the pool zone  465 . The reference can indicate an identifier associated with the stub file and/or a location of the stub file in the partition  812 . For example, each stub file can be assigned a unique identifier when the stub file is stored in the partition  812 . Each stub file can then be referenced using a particular URL that includes the unique identifier for the stub file. Different URLs can be used to perform different operations related to the stub file, such as editing the stub file, deleting the stub file, moving the stub file to a different location in the partition  812 , downloading a copy of the stub file, and so forth. 
     Once the share pool (e.g., a number of stub files) has been created, the pool service  910  can process requests from the share handler  850  to allocate specific stub files within the share pool to be utilized to share a resource stored in the partition  812  with a number of students. As discussed above, an instructor can attach a file  822  to a hand-out, specifying a number of options for sharing the file  822  when attaching the file  822  to the hand-out. In some cases, the file  822  is shared among a plurality of users, each of the users can be granted access to view and/or edit the file  822  stored in the storage service  810 . Alternatively, the instructor can specify that each user receives access to a separate and distinct copy of the file  822  (e.g., a clone), such that each student could potentially edit a different copy of the file  822  to turn in to the instructor. In such cases, a subset of stub files in the share pool can be selected in order to generate clones of the file  822  to share with the plurality of users (e.g., students and/or additional instructors). 
     It will be appreciated that the reason for the share pool is not immediately clear, because the stub files do not contain any of the data stored in the seed file  822 . However, a latency related to creating a new copy of the file  822  in the partition  812  can be much greater than a latency of changing a reference of a previously created stub file to point to the file  822 . Consequently, the time for a student to be granted access to a shared copy of the file can be reduced from minutes to seconds using the share pool, simply due to the nature of the storage service  810 . 
     The share handler  850 , in response to receiving a request to share a particular file  822  with a group of students, transmits a request to the pool service  910  to determine if the share pool includes a number of stub files equal to the number of students and/or additional instructors in the class. If the number of stub files in the share pool exceeds the number of requested stub files, then the pool service  910  can return a list of references to a number of stub files to be used by the share handler  850 . Alternatively, if the number of stub files in the share pool is less than the number of requested stub files, then the pool service  910  can create additional stub files in the share pool using the documents API  902 . 
     Once the share handler  850  has confirmed that there are sufficient numbers of stub files in the share pool, the share handler  850  calls the sharing service  920  in order to create clones of the file  822  using the stub files. The sharing service  920  utilizes the document API  902  as well as the share API  904  in order to generate the clones of the file  822 . 
     In some embodiments, the document API  902  enables the pool service  910  and/or the sharing service  920  to perform various file operations. For example, the document API  902  enables the pool service  910  to generate new stub files in the hidden folder in order to ensure that the number of stub files in the share pool is greater than or equal to the pre-defined threshold. The document API  902  can also be used to move the placeholder files from the hidden folder to another folder in the partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to the instructor. The document API  902  can also be used to rename the stub files. 
     In some embodiments, the sharing service  920  utilizes the document API  902  to move a stub file from the share pool into a different folder in the partition  812  created for a corresponding hand-out. It will be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the stub file is not moved in the physical memory in order to move the stub file into the new folder and that only the metadata for the stub file may need to be changed in order to change a reference to a location for the stub file. The sharing service  920  then renames the stub file, using the document API  902 , to associate the stub file with a file name that reflects the student and/or additional instructor associated with a particular clone of the file  822 . The sharing service  920  will repeat this procedure for each student and/or additional instructor to whom the file  822  is shared. For example, a first stub file could be moved to a folder for “Hand-out  1 —March 15” and assigned a file name “Student  1 —document”; a second stub file is moved to the same folder and assigned a file name “Student  2 —document”; and so forth. 
     Once all of the stub files required to share the file  822  have been moved from the share pool to the folder for the hand-out, the sharing service  920  utilizes the share API  904  to grant permissions to the various users to have access to the clones of the file  822  in the partition  812 . It will be appreciated that the document API  902  has merely moved files from the share pool located in the hidden folder of the partition  812  to a different folder of the partition  812  and changed the file names associated with the stub files. The students and/or additional instructors typically do not have access to such files in the partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to the instructor. Thus, the share API  904  is utilized by the sharing service  920  in order to make the clones of the file  822  visible to the other users, even though they are located in the partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to the instructor. 
     In some embodiments, the share API  904  can grant access to a file in a particular partition of the storage service  810  to other users of the storage service  810 . The share API  904  can modify data structures that associate individual files or folders/directories in a particular partition of the storage service  810  with other users not typically associated with that partition of the storage service  810 . For example, a user can utilize the share API  904  to let a person view a file stored on the user&#39;s partition of the storage service  810  by sending a link associated with the share API  904  to a different person via email. Consequently, the share API  904  can be utilized by the sharing service  920  in order to associate a directory service identifier for each student and/or additional instructors in the class with a corresponding clone stored in a partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to the instructor. 
     Each individual student and/or additional instructor in a class will then have access to one of the clones of the file  822 . In some embodiments, a student will be able to view a clone of the file  822  shared with the student even though the clone of the file  822  is located within the partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to the instructor and not a separate partition of the storage service  810  allocated to the student. In some embodiments, the share API  904  can also set permissions for the clone of the file  822 , which can include read-only or full read-write privileges. 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to an instructor, in accordance with some embodiments. An amount of memory included in one or more server devices  110  is allocated to the instructor to store various files or data structures. It will be appreciated that the partition  812  can be split among a plurality of server devices  110  and physical storage mediums such as HDDs, SSDs, and the like. In some embodiments, the partition  812  represents a virtual drive allocated to the user, wherein the virtual drive includes blocks of virtual memory mapped to various blocks of physical memory on the one or more server devices  110 . In some cases, each block of virtual memory can be mapped to multiple blocks of physical memory in order to implement replicated data storage. The replicated data storage ensures high availability of the data stored with the storage service  810 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 10 , a file  822  is stored in a folder  1010 , and a seed file  1022  is stored in a second folder  1020 . The seed file is a master copy of a stub file  1024 . The folder  1020  is hidden such that the instructor is unaware that the folder  1020  is allocated within the partition  812 . The folder  1020  also includes a share pool  1030 , which includes a number of stub files  1024  that comprise copies of the seed file  1022 . The number of stub files  1024  is equal to a pre-determined threshold that indicates the size of the share pool  1030 . 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a number of clones of a file  822  created from stub files  1024  in the share pool  1030 , in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in  FIG. 11 , a number R of stub files  1024  have been removed from the share pool  1030  and moved into a hand-out folder  1110  in the partition  812  of the storage service  810  allocated to the instructor. The stub files  1024  are renamed and associated with a particular student or additional instructor for the class, and the stub files  1024  are written with data from the file  822  to generate the set of clones  1112  for the file  822 , each clone  1112  associated with a particular student or additional instructor in the class. 
     As shown in  FIG. 11 , when placeholder files  1024  have been removed from the share pool  1030 , the share pool  1030  may need to be replenished. The pool service  910  is configured to monitor a size of the share pool  1030  and periodically create new stub files  1024  within the share pool  1030 . In some embodiments, the pool service  910  automatically replenishes the share pool  1030  in a background process whenever stub files  1024  have been provided to the share handler  850  to create new clones  1112  of a file  822 . 
       FIG. 12  is a flow chart of a method  1200  for managing a share pool, in accordance with some embodiments. The method  1200  is carried out by one or more services. In some embodiments, the method  1200  can be implemented as logic configured to maintain a share pool  1030  in a partition  812  of a storage service  810  allocated to an instructor. The logic can include instructions, executed by a processor of a server device  110 , for creating stub files in the share pool and removing stub files from the share pool to generate clones of a shared file. In some embodiments, the method  1200  is implemented within logic implemented by share handler  850 , in conjunction with pool service  910  and/or sharing service  920 . 
     At  1202 , a share pool is generated in a partition of a storage service. In some embodiments, the partition of the storage service is a set of storage resources allocated to an instructor of a class. The storage service can be a cloud-based storage service. The share pool includes a plurality of stub files, which are copies of a seed file that is a placeholder file that contains no content related to a shared file. 
     At  1204 , a number of stub files are removed from the share pool in response to a request to generate a number of clones of the shared file. In some embodiments, a share handler  850  receives a request to share a file  822  as attached to a hand-out. The hand-out can include a group of students for which the file  822  should be shared. The share handler  850  requests a list of references to a number of stub files from a pool service  910 . The pool service  910  selects a subset of stub files included in the share pool and returns references to the subset of stub files to the share handler  850 . The subset of stub files will be utilized to generate clones of the file  822  in the partition  812  of the storage service  810 . 
     At  1206 , the number of clones of the shared file are shared with a number of users of the storage service. In some embodiments, the stub files can be renamed and content from the file  822  is copied into each of the stub files stored in the partition  812 . The stub files can also be moved from a first location in the partition  812  (e.g., a hidden folder associated with the share pool) to a second location in the partition  812  (e.g., a hand-out folder). The sharing service  920  is utilized to associate an identifier associated with each student in the group of students with a particular clone of the file  822  stored in the partition  812 , which enables a user associated with the identifier to view and/or modify that particular clone of the file  822 . 
     At  1208 , the share pool is replenished with a number of additional stub files. In some embodiments, the pool service  910  is automatically configured to replenish the share pool whenever stub files are removed to generate clones of a shared file. 
       FIG. 13  illustrates a detailed view of an exemplary computing device  1300  that can be used to implement the various apparatus and/or methods described herein, in accordance with some embodiments. In particular, the detailed view illustrates various components that can be included in the computing devices illustrated in  FIGS. 1 to 11  and/or described herein. For example, one or more of the server devices(s)  110 , client device(s)  120 , or any other device including any network devices and/or consumer electronics can include the components of computing device  1300 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 13 , the computing device  1300  can include a processor  1302  that represents a microprocessor or controller for controlling the overall operation of computing device  1300 . The computing device  1300  can also include a user input device  1308  that allows a user of the computing device  1300  to interact with the computing device  1300 . For example, the user input device  1308  can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, touch screen, audio input interface, visual/image capture input interface, input in the form of sensor data, etc. Still further, the computing device  1300  can include a display  1310  (screen display) that can be controlled by the processor  1302  to present visual information to the user. A data bus  1316  can facilitate data transfer between at least a storage device  1340 , the processor  1302 , and a controller  1313 . The controller  1313  can be used to interface with and control different equipment through an equipment control bus  1314 . The computing device  1300  can also include a network/bus interface  1311  that couples to a data link  1312 . In the case of a wireless connection, the network/bus interface  1311  can include a wireless transceiver. 
     The computing device  1300  also include a storage device  1340 , which can comprise a single disk or a plurality of disks (e.g., hard drives), and includes a storage management module that manages one or more partitions within the storage device  1340 . In some embodiments, storage device  1340  can include flash memory, semiconductor (solid state) memory or the like. The computing device  1300  can also include a Random Access Memory (RAM)  1320  and a Read-Only Memory (ROM)  1322 . The ROM  1322  can store programs, utilities or processes to be executed in a non-volatile manner. The RAM  1320  can provide volatile data storage, and stores instructions related to the operation of the computing device  1300 . 
     As described above, one aspect of the present technology is the gathering and use of data available from various sources to track progress of students at completing assignments. The present disclosure contemplates that in some instances, this gathered data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data can include demographic data, location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, twitter ID&#39;s, home addresses, data or records relating to a user&#39;s health or level of fitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information, exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying or personal information. 
     The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefit of users. For example, the personal information data can be used to improve the instructional experience of individuals attending a school. Accordingly, use of such personal information data enables instructors to tailor their lessons or individual attention to students&#39; needs. Further, other uses for personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For instance, health and fitness data may be used to provide insights into a user&#39;s general wellness, or may be used as positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellness goals. 
     The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible for the collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with well-established privacy policies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining personal information data private and secure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users, and should be updated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable uses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimate uses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving the informed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities should consider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access to such personal information data and ensuring that others with access to the personal information data adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluation by third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adapted for the particular types of personal information data being collected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the US, collection of or access to certain health data may be governed by federal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained for different personal data types in each country. 
     Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to, personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, in the case of progress tracking services, the present technology can be configured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” of participation in the collection of personal information data during registration for services or anytime thereafter. In another example, users can select not to provide progress tracking information for specific third-party applications. In yet another example, users can select to limit the scope of data that is collected or entirely prohibit the collection of progress tracking information. In addition to providing “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use of personal information. For instance, a user may be notified upon downloading an app that their personal information data will be accessed and then reminded again just before personal information data is accessed by the app. 
     Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and handled in a way to minimize risks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can be minimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect a user&#39;s privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, when appropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g., collecting location data a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and/or other methods. 
     Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use of personal information data to implement one or more various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing such personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all or a portion of such personal information data. For example, progress tracking can be implemented based on non-personal information data or a bare minimum amount of personal information, such as other non-personal information available to the progress tracking pipeline, or publicly available information. 
     The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the described embodiments can be used separately or in any combination. Various aspects of the described embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. The described embodiments can also be embodied as computer readable code on a non-transitory computer readable medium. The non-transitory computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the non-transitory computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, HDDs, DVDs, magnetic tape, and optical data storage devices. The non-transitory computer readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. 
     The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the specific details are not required in order to practice the described embodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments are presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the described embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20180928
Publication Date: 20221004
Grant Date: 20221004
Priority Date: 20180326
Inventors: LOCKWOOD, JAMES F.
HONG, VAN
MA, XIAONAN
JAIN, SUGAM
DUDRENOV, PAVEL V.
HERRNSTADT, ORI
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "G06Q10/101", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/067", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F16/176", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F16/176", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L67/01", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/065", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/0605", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09B5/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L67/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09B5/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F21/6218", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L67/1097", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L67/01", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F16/176", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G09B5/08", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L67/1097", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L67/06", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L67/1097", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 67984283