🚀 go-pugleaf

I'll second the python choice. It's a very elegant, simple but
powerful language. Nice array and object orientation features. If you
want to develop under windows take a look at the ActiveState python
version:
http://www.activestate.com/Products/ActivePython/ (includes language
files, simple IDE, and many nice external python libraries: xml, zlib,
etc.)

They have a superb Integrated Development Environment (IDE) named
komodo:
http://www.activestate.com/Products/Komodo/

Komodo is not free but for educational usage you only pay USD 25 - you
earn that back within the first hour. The Komodo IDE beats any other
free IDE, it will save you time and frustration, you can try it for
free:
http://www.activestate.com/Products/Komodo/pricing_and_licensing.plex

If you really want to go Visual you can get the Visual Python.NET >>
that is a Python plugin for Visual Studio.NET - you will have to pay
for the plugin and the VS.net environment.

Python is easy to learn and gives you real power. You can concentrate
on solving the problem instead of marketing gimmicks. In addition,
phyton is in wide use in the scientific community, so peer-2-peer
support will be no problem. In addition, it's vendor-independent, you
wont suffer from vendor lockin and since it's a free distribution that
runs on many Operating Systems all your students can use it.

Success,

Kris De Decker
______________
ps: professioneel vastgoedbeheer >>
http://www.jerboa.be/website/nl/fullfill.asp