(70% of the world's "programmers" are self-taught ... I wonder what language they are using?). I think you're limiting yourself (and the students) by thinking in terms of a "language" ... you should be thinking in terms of a "stack" (and IDE); e.g. LAMP or Windows. In the case of Windows, I would suggest MS WebMatrix3; it contains all the elements you touched on including: freebeeness, easiness, language choice, videos, tutorials, templates, etc. It practically teaches itself ... no teacher required.