How to turn off Dictation?

I have followed the process for turning off Dictation through going to System Preferences/ Keyboard/Dictation. Follow steps--turn Dictation "Off." Nothing happens. Dictation is still there on the Desktop--ever present little microphone symbol in its little 1 inch rectangular shape--sometimes "Sleep", sometimes "Wake Up", and I CANNOT get rid of it. Using Big Sur 11.1. Did not have this happen under High Sierra/Mojave. I went to Catalina and then Big Sur in a matter of days, and this is a major pain. I am also getting random apps opening up--Home, Chess, and News, multiple times a day. And I get numbered lists appearing when opening and viewing menus--either Safari Bookmarks, or right clicking apps options. I suspect that these are related issues. This is driving me crazy... Any help gratefully appreciated.