Wow!
There are so many thoughts going on in my head, I hardly know where to begin.
I think I'll start letting you know where I am coming from. I have my own way of looking at Joomla! and thinking about what it can be. I recognize my view of Joomla! has become kind of narrow - especially from helping people in the forums - where most people are basically trying to bang out a standard website. So, you stretch all of that thinking with your innovations.
I think the best thing we can do to help you is to avoid telling you "how it is supposed to be done." I think you have a great vision in your head about how to reach kids. You are simplifying. Bringing a youthful and fresh, playful feel into the environment. Making it theirs. It's something for me to see this.
Everything you have done, I love. It's all so well considered. The editor is so very nice - I think half of our adult end users would prefer it to the Swiss Army Knife of editor choices they face that intimidate them.
The template is beautiful.
The choices are simple - easy to understand.
When you add (if you add) the language pack - again, just making it easier to use. Wonderful.
Things to consider:
- There will be an adult involved. This might be a parent. This might be a teacher. They will need to access the full backend power. Consider that.
-- It might be a good idea to think (even briefly) about a classroom (or family) website. How could it be easier still?
----- What if the username - and the article category - and the link category - and the frontend submenu were all the same value? How could removing those selections for the student simplify the interface?
------ What kind of extension would be needed to make it easy for the administrator (parent or teacher) to quickly setup the web (family or classroom) Setting up an ID could create an article category, a main menu link, a link manager category
-- What kind of information would you want to keep for a kid (profile) Kevin Devine has a UserMeta System Plugin
http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/usermeta/ that would allow you to create a nice Joomla! Kid Profile page where you could add data for kids (ex. favorite subject, sport, pet, picture, gender, pet, a little about me, facebook URL, whatever) to create a little social networking effect easily.
------- Again, the adult (parent, teacher) could easily modify the choices with Kevin's extension.
If there are extensions that would help you reach out to children, we might be able to create GHOP tasks that could be integrated into this solution. I want you to consider that, too.
Keep dreaming, Shantanu. Keep visioning where you are going. If we can possibly help, we will try. You are teaching us and I very much appreciate the opportunity to work with you.
Amy
