A rotating-station lab inside iTECH's Computer Systems & Information Technology program. Student teams cycle through robotic arms, AI robots, single-board computers and industrial trainers — onboarding each one as a managed IT device, programming it, securing it, and documenting it the way a working technician would.
The AI Innovation Lab gives iTECH students practical, hands-on experience with the AI tools and devices reshaping technical careers — not by watching demos, but by standing up, networking, programming, securing and troubleshooting real AI hardware. It starts in Computer Systems & IT. The goal is AI fluency for every iTECH graduate.
Every piece of equipment in the Lab is its own station. Teams rotate through them, and each station carries a sequenced set of self-guided labs — so a student who starts on the robotic arm and a student who starts on the Vector robot both build the same core IT skills: device onboarding, networking, Linux and Python, security, and documentation.
A programmable desktop robotic arm that brings AI out of the screen and into physical work. Computer Systems students build AI projects with real industrial applications — the same pick, sort, and move logic behind modern manufacturing cells and inventory control.
⬤ Manufacturing · Inventory · AutomationWhen the manufacturer's cloud servers shut down in 2024, Vector lost its brain. Students bring it back — a real service-restoration job that runs from Raspberry Pi servers and packet captures to Python and large language models.
A buildable AI robotics kit. Students start the way an IT department would with any new device: unbox it, assemble it, and document it as a managed asset before a single line of code runs.
A single-board Linux computer with a built-in touchscreen and sensors. Students connect over USB networking, work in the Linux command line over SSH, and write Python that reads live sensor data.
Four pocket-sized AI assistants — enough for a full team to work in parallel. They serve as AI endpoints across the Lab, including as devices students onboard to the Skill Boss network. Dedicated classroom activities are being designed now.
⬤ 4 units · team stationAn industrial logistics trainer with its own network. The Lab's AI extension series layers on top of Amatrol Skills 23–26, putting AI devices onto an industrial network — IT and operational technology meeting in one place.
Modular network trainers built in-house for the Computer Systems program. Equipment is pulled per lab, so each exercise uses exactly the gear it needs. Built for returning students who have already earned CompTIA Tech+ and Cisco IT Support.
⬤ Built at iTECH · veteran studentsThe Lab runs on rotating stations. Each team works through a self-guided lab packet at one station, then resets it and moves to the next. Labs are designed so any team can pick up any station on any day.
Teams arrive at a station and pick up where its lab sequence says to — with safe stopping points built in, so rotations never strand a project mid-step.
A Canvas Student Annotation packet walks students through numbered, checkable steps, with instructor checkpoints along the way.
Deliverables are written for the next technician, not just the teacher. Analysis and failure documentation carry more weight than procedure.
A station reset checklist — credentials removed, device restored — leaves the station ready for the next team.
Every station follows a scope and sequence. Students get step-by-step exposure to a task early, even before they fully understand it — and that exposure pays off when the concepts arrive.
Veteran students step into lead-tech roles with their own constraints and responsibilities, rather than repeating work they've already mastered.
Instructor guides, answer keys, rubrics, and substitute notes ship with every lab — complete enough that the Lab keeps running no matter who is in the room.
The Lab launched in Computer Systems & Information Technology (FL DOE program Y100200), where its labs align to the state curriculum framework. The long-term vision is for every iTECH program to connect to AI through the Lab. Here's where each program stands.
Students onboard, address, network, program and document every AI device in the Lab — robotic arm, robots, single-board computers — and rotate through all stations as part of the program.
↳ Stations: all · Linux · Python · SSH · MQTT · Wireshark"Shift Change at the SOC" is a tiered SOC-analyst simulation in a Huntress managed EDR/SIEM sandbox, with new students working Tier 1 and returning students on Tier 2. On the AI side, students red-team an LLM for prompt injection and audit what data leaves the building.
↳ Tools: Huntress EDR/SIEM · packet capture · LLM security testingAI extension labs on the Amatrol Skill Boss Logistics trainer and the xArm show how AI devices join industrial networks — and why IT and operational-technology skills now overlap.
↳ Stations: Skill Boss Logistics · xArm 1S · AIPI LiteAI literacy, AI-assisted bookkeeping, and fraud-detection concepts connected to the program's existing industry resources.
↳ AI literacy · automated reporting · fraud classifiersHow AI triage, decision support, and monitoring devices work in patient care — and where their limits and ethical boundaries sit.
↳ decision support · smart sensors · AI ethicsRobotic handling, computer-vision quality inspection, and predictive tool wear — built on the xArm station's manufacturing projects.
↳ robotic arm · vision QC · predictive maintenanceSensor data, predictive failure, and AI diagnostics for vehicles and the construction and agriculture equipment central to Collier County.
↳ sensor data · predictive maintenance · fleet AIGenerative design, AI scheduling, and computer-vision site inspection for structural layout, materials, and safety planning.
↳ generative BIM · AI scheduling · vision inspectionInventory forecasting in kitchens, AI consultation tools in salons, and critical evaluation of AI learning tools in early childhood classrooms.
↳ inventory AI · consultation tools · adaptive learningAmy is a post-secondary CTE educator and IT professional at Immokalee Technical College, where she teaches computer systems, networking, and applied cybersecurity in the Computer Systems & Information Technology program. She designs and builds the AI Innovation Lab's stations and lab sequences.
She also serves as Department Chair, Building Technology Coordinator, and iTECH's Canvas LMS point of contact and subject-matter expert. As an instructional coach, she mentors new teachers — including guiding them through Florida's CAPE industry certification program — and was selected for the first two cohorts of the district's Innovative Teacher Leaders program.
Amy administers iTECH's on-campus Pearson VUE and Certiport testing center, so students can earn industry certifications without leaving campus. She is the liaison between campus leadership, instructors, district technology, vendors, facilities, and sister campus Lorenzo Walker Technical College.
The AI Innovation Lab is designed to grow. What begins as a resource for iTECH students will expand to serve Immokalee and the broader Collier County community.
Student AI projects are the Lab's best argument for itself. Finished work is shared with administrators, advisory boards, and visitors at open houses.
Lab work connects to the industry certifications Florida funds through CAPE, and students can test on campus at iTECH's authorized testing center.
Local employers in agriculture, healthcare, construction, logistics, and hospitality — the industries that define Collier County — are invited to partner with the Lab, co-design projects, and meet AI-ready graduates.
A concept for an online IT help platform staffed by iTECH students, serving the Immokalee community — real support tickets as real-world practice.
Public-facing AI literacy workshops and short courses for Immokalee residents, small business owners, and community organizations navigating AI in their own work.
Hosting and joining regional AI competitions, hackathons, and showcases that put iTECH students alongside college and university peers.
Prospective students, employers, community partners, and fellow educators are welcome to visit the AI Innovation Lab. AI literacy is not a luxury; it's a baseline skill for every modern career.