How to shoot manual settings on a Nikon Coolpix L840?

I need a camera with manual settings for a photography class, and I got a Nikon Coolpix L840 as its the best thing I can afford. But I don't know exactly how to use the settings. Any help is appreciated, thank you!

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Camera flash is off- but now the camera is still adding extra light to pictures somehow?

It's a Nikon Coolpix S33, if that matters. We were testing it out the other day in our dimly lit living room. We turned the flash off and then took a picture of an object. The picture looked like someone was shining a bright flashlight on the object, even though the flash did not go off. Is the camera reducing the shutter speed? A little extra light wouldn't be a big deal, but this was way more than a little extra light, and it ruined the picture. How do we get our camera to stop doing this?

Read more: Camera flash is off- but now the camera is still adding extra light to pictures somehow?