Steemit is somewhat like an introduction towards the advancement of cryptocurrency
Steem is exactly like that, it allows people to get into the world of crypto by not having to invest money, but just time and effort.
It is great you are promoting Steem to your students! this system can even be leveraged to reward them for their homework :P
Its true, when i get back to college, I would love to do an assignment or project based on using steem as a reward, now that would be cool and awesome