Start by watching this playlist: Node-RED Essentials. The videos are done by the developers of node-red. They're nice & short and to the point. You will understand a whole lot more in about 1 hour. A small investment for a lot of gain. When you have done that, if you are still stuck then come back again.
There is a webinar on using the dashboard in a couple of days Getting Started with Node-RED Dashboard Webinar