IPhone 4S keyboard dictation does not work - associated with Siri?

Question

I have not been able to get the built-in iPhone 4S keyboard dictation to work. I talk into it, then tap "Done", then the phone "thinks" for a few seconds (the purple dots pulse and I see the network icon on the top bar spinning) and then nothing happens.  The screen I was typing on comes back with nothing added.
Probably not coincidentally, I can't get Siri to work now either - she is "sorry, having trouble connecting to the network."
I've rebooted my phone and even reset the network settings, which doesn't help. I'm surprised the network would be so congested before 9 AM eastern USA time.
So, my question is, does the keyboard dictation tool go through the same network as Siri? Is this why it's not working?
FWIW, I got Dragon Dictation to work fine.
I think it's questionable design to make keyboard dictation work only with a network connection. I can understand this with Siri but not with ordinary keyboard dictation. It's a lot of overhead to go back and forth over the server if you are just dictating text.

Answer 1

My problem is similar with a variation. Siri is working fine. The dictation feature, however, has suddenly stopped working (and I was so excited about it when I started using it - and I haven't used it that much). I don't have text enabled, by the way, so I can't use Frank's suggestion above.
I have a 4-bar 3G connection (I live in Wilmington, NC - the town where my provider has its HQ, so the connection is not the issue). However, when I attempt to use the dictation feature, all I get is a spinning wheel next to the 3G icon and 3 pulsing purple dots, which don't stop until I hit the Home button or some other key. The dictated text never materializes. This makes me quite sad and frustrated. Up until now, I have been unequivocally in love with my IPhone 4S, and I want to be completely in love with it again.
I'd really appreciate a helpful solution.
**An update - Siri can take the dictation that I wanted to use with the microphone icon (she just wrote up a note for me, for example), but I really want to be able to go straight to the application and hit the microphone icon, to use fewer words/keystrokes, etc.