Raspberry Pi Build

I have made a few attempts at getting my rPi project up and running over the last year - mostly i only have an hour or so at a time to devote to the project. The main issue I am running into is that i can't get my touch screen to register as a touchscreen.. Well it will install like a normal touch screen but when I try to calibrate it nothing happens. My ultimate goal is to have the rpi with touch screen, Octoprint and a webcam. Remote control if possible - I would love to be able to hack into it with my phone and control the printer while I am not in the room. Would make leaving the office at all a lot less stressful.