This is only the barest of minimum ideas for using journals in a writing class.  I generally tell students to keep a journal in which I ask them to write ten minutes a day, but that I will not collect them or check them in any way and the journals will not count towards their grades.  We will, however, use them in class and therefore I require them to bring them to class to use for exercises and to use as a basis for writing.  Sometimes I bring in my own journal and read an entry at random (of course I do not read anything I am uncomfortable sharing, nor would I ask them to) .  I ask them what in that entry I could develop into a piece of writing.  Then I ask them to pick an entry at random from their own journal, read it over and come up with a topic from their entry.  There are many other possibilities for using journals in class.  I prefer to allow the journals to remain private, to allow students to control access to them, because I feel they are more valuable if they are seen as private space.  Whatever you decide to do with the issue of privacy, be up-front with the students so they will not feel obligated to share writing they thought was private.
 
          Journal Writing
            General Considerations:

-remember that this is for you
-recording-- reflection-- meaning--
-set time, make it routine
-write quickly
-don't evaluate your writing
-ignore questions of spelling, grammar, word choice etc.
-don't judge what you write
-strive for neutrality, objectivity in recording
-relax conscious controls and let images and feelings come
-be spontaneous, record things in the order they come to you
-don't think about anyone else reading what you write
-pay more attention to inner events, go to what affects you emotionally
 
 
 
 

Exercises for Journal Writing
 

-free-writes- recapitulate a day, concentrating on your inner life and
how outer events affected it.
-focus in on one event or image to further explore in a timed free-write
-close your eyes and be aware of imagery-- write a description of what
you see
-twilight imagery- pre-sleep thoughts
-write from an artifact
-write it three times
-time stretch
-time shrink
-recalling a place, being in a place
-recalling a person
-dialogue with a person, event or society
-reconstructing our life history
-recording significant life events
-exploring significant life events
-crossroads points-- explore paths not taken
-pose yourself a question, go to subconscious