"simplicity, immediacy, and interactivity": yes, absolutely. I used to learn with VB code, many years ago. Dragging a button onto the form, double-clicking it, and entering
MsgBox "Hello!"
Command1.Caption = "Hello!!!"
And then clicking Go, and trying it out right there -- that's real programming, it's got the properties you asked for, and it's much more discoverable than a command-line shell.
It does boil down to context though. Who are you teaching? Someone who doesn't know computers at all? (Why are they learning to program then? Well, it happens). IMO a very simple command line interface where the only thing that is happening is directly what the student is doing can be helpful. The VB IDE has a ton of stuff going on, it can be intimidating. Just depends on the student.
