Nano Banana comics for Caulfield’s “Three moves, seven tips”

Nano Banana comics for Caulfield’s “Three moves, seven tips”

by | Nov 22, 2025

I’ve found Mike Caulfield’s recent online workshops about how to use AI to fact-check (or get context about claims) very useful!

If you’re not familiar with him, he’s the creator of the SIFT method for information literacy: Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims to the original context.

Lately he’s been working on methods for using AI to get context around claims — ideas we as librarians can use when teaching information literacy. You can read his latest post here: SIFT for AI: Introduction and Pedagogy.

He uses Google’s AI Mode (not AI overviews, which don’t work well). AI Mode is easy and quick to access and you don’t have to sign in to Google. (Learn more about AI Mode vs AI Overviews).

 

Get it in, track it down, follow up

This is his method in a nutshell:

Get it in

  • Tip #1: Just select the whole claim or upload the whole image
  • Tip #2: Use “AI mode inception” to drill into new areas

Track it down

  • Tip #3: Click the link nearest the claim you want to verify
  • Tip #4: To explore/source individual points feed them back into AI Mode

Follow up

  • Tip #5: Use an evidence-focused prompt for better accuracy
  • Tip #6: Ask it to lean into the sources you value
  • Tip #7: Keep a follow-ups file

You can watch him demonstrate this in videos on his YouTube playlist.

Nano Banana Pro for creating infographics and comics

Now this post is not about how to use his method… instead it’s for showing my fun experiments with using Nano Banana Pro to illustrate his ideas.

Since Google just released Nano Banana Pro recently, I’ve been experimenting with using it to create infographics and comic panels. It works well! I use it in the paid version of Gemini.

So I thought I’d use the “three moves, seven tips” idea to experiment with. Here are some of my results.

Feel free to copy and use these for any purpose.

Prompt: Make an infographic that shows these tips. Do it in the style of a colorful modern mind map.

Click on the image for full size.

Prompt: Now do it in the style of a 1950s comic.
Click on the image for full size.

Prompt: Now do it in the style of the Simpsons.
Click on the image for full size.

Prompt: Now do it in the style of a modern comic with three students using mobile phones.
Click on the image for full size.

I liked the modern comic best, so it’s the featured image at the top of this post.

 

Learn more about Nano Banana Pro

Here are a couple of videos that inspired me (from two of my favorite channels). They show what Nano Banana Pro can do.

(The days of recognizing AI-generated images by mangled text are over. I’ll need to update this tutorial soon).

AI Literacy for Library Workers: self-study course

AI Literacy for Library Workers: self-study course

by | Nov 20, 2025

There is widespread agreement that librarians and educators need to have AI literacy. Participating in this course will give you a very strong foundation.

What you’ll learn

  • Describe the technologies behind generative AI in a simple way for a general audience.
  • Identify and effectively use multimodal features, such as voice assistants and computer vision.
  • Select the best model for your task and then craft effective prompts for those models.
  • Understand and explain ethical issues related to generative AI, such as bias, deepfakes, and copyright.
  • Develop a list of reliable sources to follow for staying current with generative AI and its applications for education.
  • Get inspired with ways to teach generative AI to others.

Each unit includes:

  • Several short video lectures
  • Several hands-on activities
  • Recommended readings

By the end of this course, you’ll have enough background to begin to teach others in your community. And you’ll have ideas for how to stay current with new developments. With this knowledge you can begin to work with your peers to influence the future directions of generative AI technologies, in a way that aligns with the values of librarianship and education, such as equity, privacy, and access to information for all.

 

Are there any course requirements or prerequisites?

  • No technical understanding of generative AI is needed.
  • You will need to create free accounts on a few AI systems such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Claude, or Perplexity.

Who this course is for:

  • Library workers at all levels from any type of library.
  • Anyone else who is interested in AI literacy.

What are the advantages of this self-study version?

  • No deadlines.
  • The course will receive updates once a year – you’ll have perpetual access.
  • Go at your own pace, come back and review anytime.
  • You’ll get a certificate of completion when you finish the course.

Price

 

One of the best courses I’ve ever taken. Highly recommended.

Brock Edmunds

Assistant Head, Pardee Library, Boston University Libraries

I highly recommend this excellent course. The videos are informative, exciting and short, and I really enjoyed the hands-on activities, it was so much fun that I could try out all these new tools! I liked best the attitude that we were supposed to understand how easy it is to use AI to build a chatbot, generate music or create a podcast from a text. 

Angelika Gulyas

Senior Collection Management Librarian, Central European University, Vienna

This course really gave me the opportunity to try out so many different AI tools and have that hands on experience I really needed. Plus get a better understanding of generative AI in general. Highly recommend the course!

Laura Hogan

Reference & Instruction Librarian, Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA

Nicole embodies the two most important characteristics of a great instructor: deep knowledge of her subject; and attentiveness to her students.

Kenning Arlitsch

Library Director, Central European University

This is a fabulous class. It is time-consuming so make sure you have dedicated time to do the exercises but you will learn so much. I am new to the topic so it was a little like learning a foreign language but it was fun too.

Darlene Brafley

Director Library and Museum Services, City of Arcadia, CA

AI Literacy for Librarians and Educators

Start and finish anytime.

Offered via Udemy (with certificate of completion)

Sign up now
New webinar: AI’s Environmental Impact

New webinar: AI’s Environmental Impact

by | Sep 28, 2025

90-minute workshop

Repeat session on Dec. 5, 2025, 2 – 3:30 pm Eastern time
(previous session was on October 17)

You’ll get a recording if you are unable to watch it live.

Sign up now at Library 2.0

As teachers and librarians, you’re on the front lines of introducing AI to students. But with headlines warning about AI’s massive energy demands, how do you balance the need for AI literacy with decisions about acting sustainably?

This webinar cuts through the confusion to help you make informed choices about sustainability in your classrooms, libraries, and communities.

We’ll examine independent estimates of AI’s energy and water use and put them in context in ways that are easy to understand.

We’ll include an introduction to how data centers work and what they are used for. We’ll clarify what we know and what’s still uncertain about AI’s carbon footprint (both in the present and in future projections).

We’ll compare individual AI use to other digital activities, and we’ll also look at global use of data centers with statistics from the International Energy Agency.

Did you know that AI technologies are also being used to mitigate climate change? We’ll look at some of the many innovations underway related to greener data centers, hardware, and chips. And we’ll look at how AI is being used in projects that map deforestation, improve recycling, clean up the ocean, innovate new materials for greener buildings, and more.

You’ll come away with some practical tips for answering questions from students, and some simple advocacy steps to use in your communities.

 

Learning agenda

  • Review statistics about energy use of AI in a clearer context than the usual “factoids” you see in many headlines.
  • Understand some basic facts about data centers and their use for AI and other technologies.
  • Look at the history of news reporting about the energy use of other new technologies (like online book ordering in 1999 and streaming media in 2020).
  • Compare the carbon footprint of individual uses of AI with uses of other technologies and then zoom out to global use and what it could mean for climate change.
  • Examine the history of “Jevons paradox” and why it’s often quoted in relation to the growth of AI.
  • See examples of how AI itself is currently being used to mitigate climate change.
  • Get some practical tips for answering questions about AI and sustainability, and what we can advocate for collectively related to sustainable AI.

$99/person – includes live attendance and anytime access to the recording and the presentation slides and receiving a participation certificate.

To arrange group discounts, to submit a purchase order, or for any registration questions, email admin@library20.com.

AI’s Environmental Impact

The environmental story of AI is more nuanced than most headlines suggest. Come away with ideas for individual and collective action.

Sign up now
New webinar: NotebookLM: A Powerful Tool for Learning

New webinar: NotebookLM: A Powerful Tool for Learning

by | Aug 12, 2025

90-minute workshop

September 12, 2pm – 3:30 pm US – Eastern Time
You’ll get a recording if you are unable to watch it live.

Sign up now at Library 2.0

In this introduction to Google’s NotebookLM, we’ll explore what makes it different from ChatGPT‑style chatbots, how it integrates information from your uploaded sources, and why these capabilities can be useful for students and professionals at any stage of life.

With a guided tour of the interface, you’ll see how to bring PDFs, web pages, YouTube videos, Google Docs, your own notes, and more into a notebook, where you can then ask questions and build study guides, FAQs, mind maps, audio and video overviews.

You’ll come to understand how this tool is grounded only in the sources you give it, instead of its training data or various sources from the web. ​​If NotebookLM is unable to answer a question, that’s usually because the information is not in the sources you gave it.

Through demonstrated examples you’ll discover ways people are using NotebookLM to help with their own learning. We’ll also clarify how copyright and user privacy apply when incorporating licensed materials. And we’ll outline NotebookLM’s current limitations and share strategies for encouraging critical thinking.

We’ll close by covering where to track future updates and, in a live chat brainstorm, help generate fresh ideas for educational use.

Expect to leave with practical tips—and plenty of inspiration—to start experimenting back at your library.

Learning agenda:

  • Understand what NotebookLM is and why some people call it a “thinking partner.”
  • Get familiar with the interface and the easy-to-use built-in tools.
  • Become inspired with ideas for educational use cases by looking at examples.
  • Understand how copyright and privacy work in this setting.
  • See examples of accessibility features and multilingual support.
  • Understand limitations along with best practices for preserving critical thinking.
  • Learn how to stay updated on its development and future updates.
  • Brainstorm via chat about creative use cases.

$129/person – includes live attendance and any-time access to the recording and the presentation slides and receiving a participation certificate.

To arrange group discounts, to submit a purchase order, or for any registration questions, email admin@library20.com.

NotebookLM: A Powerful Tool for Learning

This will be both useful and fun!

Sign up now
Promoting AI Literacy: A Comprehensive Log of My 2024 AI Education Activities

Promoting AI Literacy: A Comprehensive Log of My 2024 AI Education Activities

by | Dec 31, 2024

I’ve created and participated in many AI-related activities this year! This post is a summary of them. See also my activities for 2023.

 

1. Webinars offered

  • Jan. 30, Feb. 6, Feb. 13, and Feb. 20: A series of four webinars.
    Understanding and Using Generative AI in Library Programs: a webinar series. American Library Association.
  • April 5: Introduction to AI Literacy with ChatGPT. Walla Walla County Rural Library District
  • April 9, 16, and 23: AI Literacy, Beyond ChatGPT, and AI Tools for Education. Penn State Libraries
  • Sept. 10: Generative AI Tools for Creating Multimedia. RAILS: Reaching Across Illinois Library System
  • Nov. 12: Understanding and Using Generative AI: for health science librarians. Network of the National Library of Medicine’s Region 4


2. Training for University of Arizona Libraries staff


3. Training for faculty, staff, and students at University of Arizona


4. Offered an online course: AI Literacy for Library Workers

A six-week online course, via Infopeople, Nov. 5 – Dec. 23, 2024
>> See feedback from people who took the course.


5. Guides and tutorials for UA Libraries

Most of these were created in 2023, and I continually updated them throughout 2024.


6. Task forces, committees, discussion groups

  • Member of  the ACRL AI Competencies for Library Workers Task Force (year-long term, beginning July 2024). Charge: to develop a set of comprehensive AI competencies for library workers that align with the evolving needs of academic libraries in the context of AI integration.
  • Participated in several University of Arizona campus-wide working groups on AI, (started summer 2023 and continued through 2024).
  • Co-chair of AI Working Group for the UA Libraries, (started summer 2024 and ongoing).
    Goals: To identify potential AI use cases in academic library operations and services, evaluate ethical and privacy implications, and develop a framework and recommendations for UA Libraries’ education and outreach in AI.
  • ACRL AI Discussion Group, monthly meetings, November and December.


7. Interviews

  • March 11. Interviewed by Christopher Griffin from UA College of Law for the Ithaka project.
    “Our local University of Arizona study is part of a suite of parallel studies at approximately 20 other institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, coordinated by Ithaka S+R, a not-for-profit research and consulting service.”


8. My writings


9. Training sessions I attended

January 23. Prompting for open source models  – DeepLearning AI

Feb. 6. AI in Teaching and Learning – Univ. of Arizona campus event

March 20. AI and Elections – AI at Arizona Town Hall Series

March 21. AI and Libraries – San Jose State University School of Information. Recordings.

April 18. AI & Libraries, part 2 (online event). Recordings

    • Developing a ChatGPT Workshop: An Academic Librarian’s Response to Evolving AI Technologies: Janice Kung, Librarian, University of Alberta
    • Planning a Credit-Bearing Course on AI and Information Literacy: Alyssa Russo, Learning Services Librarian, University of New Mexico | David A. Hurley
    • Generative AI and Open Educational Resources: Opportunities and Pitfalls: D’Arcy Hutchings, Instructional Design and Open Education Librarian, University of Alaska Anchorage

April 22. Creative AI in Art Education – Stonybrook University

May 21. Generative A.I. supercharging the mission of libraries: risks and opportunities – 3 hour webinar, ALA.

June 11. AI Chatbots in Public Libraries – first practical experiences –  from public libraries in Berlin
Try the chatbot here, ask it to speak in English: https://www.voebb.de

June 11. Attended 2 other sessions from Generative AI in Libraries (GAIL) Virtual Conference.
Best one was about another chatbot experiment for a university library in Dubai. Zayed University. Try it: https://aisha.zu.ac.ae/

June 11. ACRL LDG: Evolving with AI: Empowering the Maturing Academic Library Workforce – Leo Lo

June 12 – 13. Attended sessions from Generative AI in Libraries (GAIL) Virtual Conference.

    • 10 am – How are Students Actually using Generative AI? A Survey and its Implications for Academic Libraries
    • 11 am – Accessibility, Equity And AI: What’s New and Where Are We Going?
    • 12 pm – Using Artificial Intelligence-Generated Images in Libraries
    • 10 am – Crafting Effective Prompts: Leveraging Generative AI in Libraries
    • 11 am – Colloquial Data Science in Libraries
    • 12 pm – Aligning AI Tools with the ACRL Framework: Leveraging Perplexity.ai to Support Student Learning

August 7. Building your own Chatbots with a Purpose | recording
and Do More with your Data Using RAG: Building Chatbots | recording
IT Summit at UA

October 21 – 24. Attended virtual conference: Internet Librarian

October 23. AI-CHATBOT FOR LIBRARIES AND INSTITUTIONS
– PROMPTING AND CONVERSATIONS. PART II – Public libraries in Berlin

December 2. Leveraging artificial intelligence to tackle climate change – Brookings Institution

December 5. A framework for AI literacy – Future Trends Forum
How can colleges and universities best support AI literacy? This week the Future Trends Forum is delighted to host three Barnard academics who just developed an AI literacy framework: Elana Altman, Senior Associate Director for UX & Academic Technologies; Melanie Hibbert, Director of Instructional Media and Academic Technology Services (IMATS) & Sloate Media Center; Tristan Shippen, Senior Academic Technology Specialist, IMATS.

December 9. Why an equity lens is critical in the design and deployment of AI – Brookings

December 10. The Role of AI in the Transition to Net Zero | FT Live | recording

December 10. Empowering Librarians with AI Literacy: A Framework for Navigating and Teaching AI – LibTech Insights webinar
Recording | Slides and white paper

December 13. Research and AI – Principles and Practices for Using AI Tools
A Library 2.0 “AI Deep Dive” Workshop with Reed Hepler

 


Thoughts about this year

This was another busy year for the topic of AI Literacy! One of the most rewarding things I did was teach the six-week course: AI Literacy for Library Workers. It was great to see how the 80 people in the course participated so enthusiastically. They completed many hands-on activities and participated in our discussions about them. I’ll write a separate post about that experience later.

I plan to offer the course again in 2025 — dates still to be determined. Sign up here if you would like to be notified when it’s ready, and take a look at the feedback from people who took the course.

Also in 2025 I plan to offer more webinars and workshops, and also keep our generative AI tutorials and guides up to date. I have several ideas for new topics for our tutorials — we’ll see how much I can get done! It’s such an interesting topic and I enjoy learning more about it every day.

To stay current with news about AI, sign up for my free newsletter, Generative AI News.