Tirupathur teacher inspires kids with touch-screen table

TIRUPATHUR: A schoolteacher in Tirupathur district has created a touchscreen table to help tribal children learn better. He made the display with 12-mm glass and an infrared frame, and connected it to a computer. Contents on the computer can be accessed with just a tap on the table.

A Arunkumar (39), who made the device, said, “The touch-screen table has a 55-inch infrared frame. I used 12 mm glass and pasted a white sticker on it. The contents of the computer can be viewed on the display of the table,” he explained.

The innovative device was devised to create curiosity and interest among the tribal students of the Panchayat Union Middle School, at Chinthagamanipenda on the Tamil Nadu-Andhra Pradesh border. “Students get interested in the mystery of science when they see that the entire world can be viewed with just the tap of the screen,” Arunkumar said.

Tirupathur District Collector MP Sivanarul visited the school and appreciated the teacher for his innovation. Arunkumar had earlier earned laurels from the Tamil Nadu School Education department for innovating a low-cost interactive white board. He received the Best Dream Teacher Award and Best Innovative Teacher Award for his feat.