A recent article in the SCMP which can also be seen here on Google News suggests that the use of technology is having an impact on the writing of Chinese characters by the younger generation. One section of the article that caught my eye was the comment : “Chinese reading even uses a different part of the brain from reading the Roman alphabet, Siok’s research has found — a part closer to the motor area, which is used for handwriting.”
I haven’t done too much research into this, but I do wonder about how this effects the reading and thinking that you need to do in Form 6 and 7 especially in preparing for the speaking exam. If you are reading in English then translating to Chinese, then back to English, some elements of fluency are sure to be lost. Preparing for the speaking exam means that you must take more time during the year to read in English.