AI Images Gone Bananas: 

Gemini Nano Banana Pro

@LisaBerghoff

As the saying goes, we remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear together, 70% of what we discuss, 80% of what we experience, and 95% of what we teach. Think about the balance in your own classes. How much are students expected to read and hear vs the others? As a special educator I know how important visuals are in learning, for all students. I also know that I am a terrible artist and have spent hours scouring the internet for the perfect image to go with my content. 

With all of the excitement around AI, one universal truth has been that AI tools are terrible at generating reliable images and infographics.

Until now.

Google recently released a huge update to Gemini called Nano Banana Pro. This version allows Gemini to make images that are more detailed, realistic, and accurate. 

With Nano Banana Pro we now have these important capabilities:

• Legible Text Rendering: No more AI gibberish! Words will actually be words.
• Search Grounding: Gemini uses Google's search engine so the information created will be accurate and current.
• Spatial Reasoning: This new model has a framework for layout so the structure and flow of your images will be in line with what you are trying to communicate.

How Do I Access Nano Banana Pro?

1. Go to Gemini.google.com

2. From the "Tools" menu, choose "Create Images". 

3. From the model selection, choose "Thinking".

Now you are accessing Nano Banana Pro!

Be aware that there is a limit to how many Nano Banana Pro images you can create. I made 4 in an hour and timed out. 

Why Would I Use AI To Create Images?

Using AI to generate images is fun, and I have seen many silly images created, but when we think about use for teaching and learning, there are some compelling ways these images can be useful.  

Here are a few I came up with.

1. Branding your content. When our brains see the same logos, images, or even colors, it helps jog our memory. You can create an image to go along with specific concepts. Those images can help students make connections which could lead to greater academic performance. Here is a logo created to help physics students when learning about Newton's Laws. 

2. Infographics. Infographics are a wonderful way to help students learn information in ways that go beyond reading or talking. An infographic can help show how concepts go together. Nano Banana Pro can actually create incredible infographics. Here is a periodic table of figurative language. 

3. Checking For Understanding. Asking students to explain, connect with, or summarize what they see in an image can be a fantastic way to formatively assess students' understanding. You could do an activity where you give students an image and ask them to write the prompt that created that image. 

4. Vocabulary Enrichment. We are all literacy teachers. However, gravity in a physics class means something different from gravity in an English class. Providing students with images, or having them create their own, can help students with complex vocabulary words that they may understand in one context but not the other. 

5. Timelines: We can read and talk about the order of events but to see it in image form is much more powerful. 

Mine Don't Look That Good, What Should I Do?

Like anything with AI, prompting is very important. Here are some helpful tips.

• What is the main subject or content you want to highlight?
• Who will be looking at the image?
• Do you want a title? What should it be and where to you want it?
• What specific information do you want included?
• Include reference materials by uploading or copy/paste.
• Give direction for the visual style. Do you want it to be a cartoon? Chalkboard art? Ikea instruction manual? The sky is the limit here.
• What format do you want? Is it a logo that will be used on materials or a stand alone image?

Want some help getting started with Nano Banana Pro? Let me know.