Hi mintonw,

If you are not seeing the software keyboard with the dictation key on your iPad, check to see if you have any Bluetooth keyboards enabled.  Turn off bluetooth temporarily to see if the keyboard you are expecting appears.  Here is some information from the iPad User Guide:

Use international keyboards
http://help.apple.com/ipad/9/#/iPad434d1a77

 

Use international keyboards

International keyboards let you type text in many different languages, including Asian languages and languages written from right to left. For a list of supported keyboards, go to www.apple.com/ipad/, choose your iPad, click Tech Specs, then scroll to Languages.

Manage keyboards. Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.

• Add a keyboard: Tap Add New Keyboard, then choose a keyboard from the list. Repeat to add more keyboards.

• Remove a keyboard: Tap Edit, tap next to the keyboard you want to remove, tap Delete, then tap Done.

• Edit your keyboard list: Tap Edit, drag next to a keyboard to a new place in the list, then tap Done.

To enter text in a different language, switch keyboards.

Switch keyboards while typing. Touch and hold to show all your enabled keyboards. To choose a keyboard, slide your finger to the name of the keyboard. The Globe key appears only if you enable more than one keyboard.

You can also just tap . When you tap , the name of the newly activated keyboard appears briefly. Continue tapping to access other enabled keyboards.

Many keyboards provide letters, numbers, and symbols that aren’t visible on the keyboard.

 

Onscreen keyboard doesn’t appear

If iPad is paired with a Bluetooth keyboard, the onscreen keyboard doesn’t appear. To make the onscreen keyboard appear, press the Eject key on a Bluetooth keyboard. You can also make the onscreen keyboard appear by moving the Bluetooth keyboard out of range or turning it off.

 

Dictate

If you like, you can dictate instead of typing. Make sure Enable Dictation is turned on (in Settings > General > Keyboard) and iPad is connected to the Internet.

Note: Dictation may not be available in all languages or in all areas, and features may vary. Cellular data charges may apply. See Cellular settings.

Dictate text. Tap on the iPad keyboard, then speak. When you finish, tap Done.

Add text. Tap again and continue dictating. To insert text, tap to place the insertion point first. You can also replace selected text by dictating.

Add punctuation or format text. Say the punctuation or format. For example, “Dear Mary comma the check is in the mail exclamation mark” becomes “Dear Mary, the check is in the mail!” Punctuation and formatting commands include:

• quote … end quote

• new paragraph

• new line

• cap—to capitalize the next word

• caps on … caps off—to capitalize the first character of each word

• all caps—to make the next word all uppercase

• all caps on … all caps off—to make the enclosed words all uppercase

• no caps on … no caps off—to make the enclosed words all lowercase

• no space on … no space off—to run a series of words together

• smiley—to insert :-)

• frowny—to insert :-(

• winky—to insert ;-)

Happy Holidays!