Navigating AI Image Generation Tools for Teachers
With artificial intelligence, teachers can create engaging and visually appealing learning materials simply by inputting a few words. Teachers can use AI image generators to create photos, drawings, paintings, 3D, patterns, concept art, and even animations. Text-to-image AI generators do not require graphic design skills and can generate images quickly, saving teachers time to create or find images for specific curriculum content.
Images are crucial in helping students remember information and grasp complex concepts. Images help make learning more engaging and memorable for students because they can convey feelings, ideas, and messages. They are often a great place to start thinking and discussion in the classroom.
A number of AI image generators have emerged over the last year, but Midjourney has received the most attention and scrutiny. Midjourney's AI algorithms generate photorealistic images, which have drawn both praise and criticism. For example, Midjourney generated a fake picture of Pope Francis wearing a stylish white puffy jacket that went viral on social media platforms. The image was so realistic that even discerning internet users were fooled, showcasing Midjourney’s abilities, but also how AI-generated images can spread misinformation.
Despite its prowess, Midjourney is likely not the right tool for most classroom teachers. Most teachers want to create or find appropriate images to compliment academic materials easily. Midjourney is not a website with a clean and intuitive interface, but rather a public chat room whose software you'll need to download. Once inside Midjourney, it's crowded and not immediately clear how to proceed. Moreover, Midjourney's free features are rarely accessible; it's often too busy to serve free users and instead prompts you to pay for a subscription plan.
Teachers should instead check out Canva, a popular design and presentation tool that lets you create stunning visuals for various purposes. It has many art-generation tools powered by AI. For instance, Canva offers a text-to-image generation feature that allows you to generate images from text prompts, and it can generate art in a range of styles, from photos to drawings, paintings, 3D, patterns, and concept art. With Canva Pro, users can add animations and GIFs to their designs
Canva for Education is a free version of Canva specially designed for K-12 teachers and students. It gives you unlimited access to all the premium features of Canva Pro, such as millions of images, fonts, icons, videos, animations, templates, and more. Canva for Education also enables you to create and manage virtual classrooms where you can invite your students and colleagues. It integrates with core classroom tools, such as Google Classroom, Canvas, Microsoft Teams, Moodle, and Blackboard.
Adobe Firefly is another easy-to-use AI image creation tool from a company synonymous with visual creativity. Adobe Firefly offers features like Text to Image, Generative Fill, Text Effects, Generative Recolor, and 3D to Image, which can be very useful for creating engaging educational materials. It provides you with ideas to create your own image and also integrates with other Adobe creation tools, like Photoshop.
Adobe Firefly is easier to use than Midjourney and provides high-quality images. It offers a free plan that includes 25 monthly generative credits, which is probably sufficient for teachers who only need to create a limited number of images each month. But Firefly is in beta and you’ll have to request access.
Some teachers may instead opt to use Google Duet AI, more specifically its “Help Me Visualize” option. Help Me Visualize enables the creation of images within Google Slides. Users can create an original graphic from a simple text prompt and seamlessly insert it in a Google Slides presentation. Help Me Visualize is a super convenient image-generation feature — if you have access to it. Google is rolling it out to Business Enterprise customers first.
The wildcard AI image generation tool at the moment is DALL-E3, the successor to DALL-E2. DALL-E3 boasts a number of advanced features that can make it an essential tool for creating sophisticated AI artwork. It leverages ChatGPT to make refining text to create images easier because users can input anything from a simple sentence to a detailed paragraph. However, it has yet to be released to the general public.
The advent of AI image generators offers a plethora of opportunities for educators to enhance their teaching materials. Teachers can leverage these tools to create diverse and engaging visuals, fostering a more interactive and enriching learning experience for students. But as AI evolves, it is imperative for educators to stay informed and make discerning choices in incorporating AI tools in the classroom.
