Blockchain does not require a lot of time to understand it's princliples and to start to create your own. Same applies for smartcontracts and dapps on popular blockchains. The crutial point is to learn them how to write secure code, because this is what matters. Everybody can learn few principles and how we create something and some basics of programming languages.
I agree. Once the basic principles of how to think when coding are already there, blockchain is just like a different language. With blockchain (that can effectively be used without actually having a coin), we get a new database system which can optimize and hold histories of practically unlimited tasks.
I think it's important for students to be learning about this material, because it could easily be the next push in the tech future. If students get a head start on it now, they'll be able to work with it later.