FEATURES OF USING A BLOG AS A TOOL FOR TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS (HEIS)

Abstract

The article focuses on the specific features of using blogs as an innovative tool for teaching foreign languages at higher education institutions. The historical development of blog is analyzed: from the dissemination of news among foreign language teachers to the creation of an environment for the exchange of experience, communication, and cooperation between students and lecturers. The paper summarizes scientific research by Ukrainian and foreign scholars who emphasize the potential of blog in developing writing skills, critical thinking, intercultural communication, and student motivation. It is determined that a blog is a tool for collaborative learning, authentic communication, and integration into digital education systems. It is outlined that when creating foreign language lecturer’s blog, four key design decisions must be made: content placement, reader response, audience, and authorship. That is, you need to decide how to organize the content, how readers can respond, who the blog is for, and who writes it. Each of these decisions will help determine how effectively foreign language lecturer’s blog achieves its communication goals. The advantages of using a blog have been identified: improvement of grammar and style, activation of students, formation of intercultural dialogue, integration of information and communication technologies into the educational process, development of reflection and professional orientation even among students of non-philological specialties. At the same time, challenges and limitations were identified: the need for digital literacy, the need for methodological integration of blog into curricula, the risk of formalism, and technical barriers. It is concluded that a blog is a multifunctional educational tool that promotes active student engagement, the development of language and digital competencies, the formation of intercultural communication, and integration into the digital educational environment. Prospects for further research lie in exploring the possibilities of combining blogging with artificial intelligence technologies, personalization of learning experience, interdisciplinary approaches, and the development of criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of blog in different educational contexts