Ipad 2 home key just stopped working. It would not charge as soon as I put first ios8 on. Somehow I got it to charge enough to get the supposed bug fixes with the most recent iOS 8 update! I still hav

I would contact Apple care. it might not be compatible with th new OS

Hey dude, you need to check your icloud account and be sure of your password is correct so that you can update and can download at the appstor.
you need to go the settings and below you can see the account sync, you to sign in or to create an account on icloud

Try recording using the voice memo to check the mic if you can then mic is working if not then either downgrade your ipsw to the previous firmware if you are sure it stopped working right after the software upgrade or replace the mic

That's because it's simply not powerful enough to handle ios8. I know apple gave the update but unless they give a new bug fixing update to fix the crashing, your stuck with ios8 and a crashing iPad.
I have my iPad 2 with ios7 and I'm not planning to update it.

Yes! Plug into PC and sign in to iTunes account!

You might need to update the Bejeweled app. Go to the App Store on your iPad and download any app updates.

This article should have everything you need.
How to downgrade iOS 8 to iOS 7 1 2

If it's the original ipad one, nope. Not fair my 3 yr old has one and I can't get newer apps. Ios8 rumors are that ipad 1 won't even be recognized

As soon as you connect your iPad to a working charger, it will beep. If you plug in the cable and you don't hear the beep, assume something is wrong. Just find out what, the cable or the charger.
Don't try to charge the iPad with a computer, because the 500 mA a USB connector from a computer can give, is not enough even to start.
But you can use a computer to test the cable, because the iPad should beep and say on the screen not charging.
If there is no beep when connecting to a computer, you have to use another cable. If it beeps, buy a new charger. 5 Volt 2 A. The best an Apple charger.

have you tried a hard ware reset?

turn off device, then hold the power button on top and the home key (make sure its not plugged in also)

keep Holding both keys... you will see the apple logo appear, and then flash off, and then it will restart again. If you keep holding the home key and the power key, it will continue in this loop. Holding it until it reboots once should be enough though, then just turn it on and let it boot normally.

Your settings and everything should remain the same, this just will reset the hardware on the device. I have had issues with my iPad 2 with games lately, mainly random crashing, when I do this hardware reset, it usually fixes my crashing issue for a while.

Once again the steps are:

Shut off device, make sure it is unplugged
Hold the Power button and home key, until the apple icon appears and then flashes off.
Let the device turn on normally, let go of home key and hold the power button till the apple icon appears, and let it boot up normally.
Test the application, this may or may not work. But its def worth a try.