Hi Jane,
I am not sure which instructions you are accessing but they will be intended for staff not student use. Only Teachers in Moodle can add a Collaborate activity to a course. Once added it is available to everyone on the course - depending on the opening times set for the room.
If you want to create a Collaborate room to have a meeting with fellow students you can do so but it is not carried out in Moodle. Please see the following web page for more details:
Wesley