A journal is an online blog or diary. The Journals Tool allows Instructors to structure an individual journal or blog for each of their students. Journals are frequently used in courses as a reflective student assignment or as a substitute for other discussion tools. Journal entries can be directed to either the whole class or to just the instructor and can allow comments from readers.

By adjusting the default permissions, Instructors or organizers can structure a single “class” journal (or a series of “class” journals) that can be edited by all of the members of the site, in effect, using the Journals tool as a class wiki.