By "use install a Maven plugin and use it" I am sure you are looking for a Eclipse plugin that will perform Maven functions within the IDE. If so, M2E is a good choice. You will find a lot of help within the Eclipse installation once you install M2E.
That said -- considering that you are starting off using Maven -- it would go a long way to have a good understanding of the basic concepts. Using M2E could hide some of the details which could lead to incomplete or incorrect interpretation of Maven's behavior and therefore problems downstream.
Some good Maven online references are: